Depressive symptoms in diabetic patients; prevalence, correlates, and moderating effect in Taif, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

A BSTRACT Background: Diabetes is associated with a range of psychosocial stressors that could lead to considerable distress and increased risk of depressive symptoms. There is a pressing need to understand the underpinnings of diabetes-related distress and how it evolves in connection with depressive moods, and fears related to hypoglycaemia. Our current study attempts to fill this knowledge gap and further explore the interconnections between distress, fear, and depression among Saudi diabetic patients. Methods: Descriptive questionnaire-based cross-sectional study of type II diabetes patients in a specialist diabetes clinic in Taif, Saudi Arabia. We carried out Poisson regression modelling to evaluate the correlates of depressive and distress symptoms. Results: The study included ( n = 365) patients living with type II diabetes. Cronbach’s alpha for the DDS-17 was 0.93, and for HABS was 0.84, indicative of excellent internal consistency. Diabetes-related distress affected ( n = 114, 22.8%) patients, whereas depressive symptoms affected ( n = 190, 52.1%) patients. The mean HABS score was 32.7 points (out of 70 points) (SD = 9.8 points). High physical activity levels were found only in ( n = 23, 6.3%) patients and moderate physical activity in ( n = 65, 17.8%), whereas patients with low physical activity were ( n = 277, 75.9%). Diabetes-related distress was associated with increased HbA1c, presence of eye disease, comorbid mental illness, heart disease, stroke, and low physical activity levels. Depressive symptoms were associated with increased HbA1c, longer diabetes duration, presence of eye disease, comorbid mental illness, comorbid neuropathy, heart disease, and low physical activity levels. Conclusions: Distress and depression levels are worryingly higher than previous estimates from Saudi Arabia among patients with type II diabetes, indicative of an upward trend and/or a pandemic-related jump. One significant finding from our results is the substantial effect of glycaemic control on increased distress, and depression among our type II diabetes patients. This interaction is likely due to effects on self-care and medication adherence. We also confirmed the association between depressive symptoms and the duration of diabetes. Our results indicated a connection between comorbid medical illness with depressive and distress symptoms.

Awareness Level of Diabetic Neuropathy and Its Complications Among Taif City Population in Saudi Arabia

“… 22 The longer a person has diabetes, the more likely they are to experience psychological complications, such as depression. 23 Moreover, the demand for efforts to educate the general population about the complications of diabetic neuropathy has also been reported in India and Malaysia. 24 Increasing caregivers’ knowledge about these complications is important in decreasing their incidence.…”

Humor and Quality of Life in Adults With Chronic Diseases: A Systematic Review

“…The term "Health Related QoL" (HRQoL), the self-perceived health status, is often used interchangeably with QoL, and it consists of three broad domains: physical, psychological, and social functioning [7]. Research has shown that living with a chronic illness, including cardiovascular disease [8,9], various types of cancer [10][11][12][13][14], stroke [15,16], and diabetes [17][18][19] can be significantly challenging for many aspects of QoL [20].…”