Diabetic Distress and its Relationship with Demographic and Clinical Characteristics of patients with Type 2 Diabetes in Zanjan University of Medical Sciences in 2019

Diabetes is a chronic and progressive metabolic disease with profound effects on mental health.

This study aimed to determine diabetic distress status and its relationship with some demographic characteristics and clinical outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes.

This study was part of a larger study on psychological adjustment and diabetic distress. Data were collected using a demographic questionnaire and a standard 17-item tool for measuring diabetic distress and were analyzed using descriptive and analytical statistics, including mean (standard deviation), independent t-test, analysis of variance, and Pearson correlation coefficient, in SPSS version 22 software.

The mean (SD) of distress score in patients with type 2 diabetes was 2.12 (0.75). The prevalence of distress worthy of clinical attention was 11.4%. Regarding distress dimensions, the highest mean distress score was related to the emotional burden dimension 2.82 (1.06), and the lowest mean score was obtained in the dimension of interpersonal distress 1.48 (0.84). The overall distress score was significantly associated with hospitalization history (P ≤0.001) and history of diabetes-related problems (P=0.001). Also, the total distress score was significantly related to physical complications of diabetes (P=0.001), type of treatment (P=0.001), and occupation (P=0.018). The overall distress score significantly correlated with monthly income (r=-0.171, P=0.001), disease duration (r=0.268, P=0.001), and HbA1c level (r=0.115, P=0.032).

Since the level of distress shows interindividual variations and is influenced by demographic, clinical, and social features, it is recommended that those in charge of providing care to diabetic patients consider individualized distress coping training for patients with diabetes.