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IntroductionEmerging evidence suggests that diabetes stigma and negative emotions associated with it may impair the quality of life of people with diabetes. Among these psychological distresses, shame is considered the most distressing of all human emotional experiences and may be a condition to which diabetes clinicians should pay attention. This epidemiological study focused on diabetes-related shame and aimed to determine the prevalence of diabetes-related shame, its factors, and its association with psychological indicators.Research design and methodsA cross-sectional online survey was conducted among people with type 2 diabetes preregistered with a research firm. The questionnaire included experience of diabetes-related shame and demographic data such as age, clinical characteristic measures such as hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), and psychological indicators, including the WHO Five Well-Being Index (WHO-5) and Problem Areas In Diabetes-5 (PAID-5). Differences in each indicator between people with diabetes who experienced shame and those who did not were analyzed with the unpaired t-test. As supplemental analysis, binomial logistic regression analysis was used to identify factors associated with the prevalence of diabetes-related shame.ResultsOf the 510 participants, 32.9% experienced diabetes-related shame and 17.5% concealed their disease from colleagues or friends. Those who had experienced diabetes-related shame showed significantly lower WHO-5 and higher PAID-5 scores (p<0.001). However, no significant difference was found in HbA1c (p=0.36). Binomial logistic regression revealed that women, young adults, those without a college degree, those with low self-efficacy, and those with a strong sense of financial burden or external pressure were at higher risk of experiencing diabetes-related shame.ConclusionsAmong people with type 2 diabetes mellitus, diabetes-related shame was associated with diabetes-specific emotional distress and low psychological well-being. Further research and care development are needed to address diabetes-related shame and improve the quality of life of people with diabetes.

For 28 mildly handicapped Japanese students visual-motor integration scores were significantly correlated with both mathematics and reading scores, which substantiates the test's cross-cultural validity. Although slightly larger correlations with mathematics achievement than with reading achievement were noted in both cultures, the differences between reading and mathematics correlations were not significant for Japanese children. In contrast, in at least one American study the correlation between the visual-motor integration scores and mathematics achievement was significantly greater than that between the test and reading achievement. It is clear that further research with larger samples for both American and Japanese groups is essential.

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Background People with diabetes are increasingly using smartphone health care applications (apps) to manage their health. However, few studies have examined the percentage of people with diabetes using health care apps and their relationship to self-care. Objective The purpose of this study is to determine the prevalence of health care apps among people with diabetes and the relationship between app use and self-management. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted using an online survey among people with type 2 diabetes. Multiple linear regression analysis was conducted using the scores of the Japanese version of Summary of Diabetes Self-Care Activities and exercise and general diet subscales as the objective variables. Results Of 253 participants included in this study, 61 (24.1%) used health care apps. Approximately 20% of those aged ≥ 60 also used health care apps. Use of health care apps was a significant predictor of physical activity frequency along with autonomous motivation (p < 0.001). Participants who used health care apps showed a 0.91 point higher physical activity score than those who did not. Regarding the general diet score, the use of health care apps was not significantly associated with dietary habits (p = 0.29). Conclusion Among people with type 2 diabetes, 24.1% used health care apps, and self-management scores of exercise were significantly higher in people with diabetes who used health care apps than in those who did not.