Diabetic Distress Among Diabetic Patients in the Referral Hospital of Amhara Regional State, Ethiopia

Abstract

The main purpose of this study was to assess the status of diabetic distress among diabetic patients of referral hospitals in Amhara Regional State. Hospital-based cross-sectional survey was conducted on 346 participants. The participants of the study were selected using both probability and nonprobability sampling techniques. The instrument of the study was adapted and contextualized to the Ethiopian context to avoid cultural conflicts, and then it was rated and piloted. Both descriptive and inferential techniques were used to analyze the data. The cut-off for low, moderate, and high distress level was <2, 2–2.9, and ≥3, respectively. From a total of 346 sample patients, 54 (15.6%) had experienced no or little distress (1.54 ± .28), 162 (46.8%) had moderate distress (2.78 ± .82), and 130 (37.6%) had experienced high distress (3.94 ± .62). Statistically significant difference was observed in the level of diabetic distress with respect to age, F(2, 343) = 4.336, p < .05; marital status, F(2, 343) = 4.590, p < .05; educational status, F(5, 340) = 2.831, p < .05; and having habits of planned physical exercise, F(3, 245) = 2.911, p < .05. Statistically significant difference was not observed for sex, smoking habits, an experience of living with diabetics, and occupational status. The result of regression analysis shows that the independent variable altogether accounted for only 4.2% of the variance of diabetic distress. Diabetic distress was a serious psychological problem among diabetic patients in the referral hospitals of Amhara Region.

Prevalence of Diabetes Related Distress and Associated Factors Among Type 2 Diabetes Patients Attending Hospitals, Southwest Ethiopia, 2020: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…• 95% level of confidence interval • 5% margin of error (d) • 37.6% as a prevalence of diabetes related distress from previous study. 16 Zα=2…”

“…A single study conducted in Northern Ethiopia found that 37.6% of type 2 diabetic patients had high DRD. 16 Although burden of illness is a key contributor to DRD, presence of diabetes complications, co-morbid medical conditions, and more intensive treatment have been associated with increased DRD. 17,18 Studies illustrated that younger age, lower level of education, longer duration of diabetes, use of insulin injection, and higher HbA1c were factors strongly associated with higher DRD in the cross-sectional analyses.…”

Diabetic Distress Among Diabetic Patients in the Amhara Regional State, Ethiopia

“…But there is a strong appreciation that in addition to physical and biological aspects of illness there are also psychological grounds to be considered to understand the health conditions of patients. 18 To put it in another way, physical failures are the keystones to understand health problems rather than the starting and the ending point to understand the health of an individual 19 so that the psychological aspects have to be considered to get a full picture of the illness. That is, the wax and the wane of diabetic disease course are, not only physiological changes that need to be considered rather there should be a psychological aspect.…”

“…Psychological factors were the most important factors for healthy seeking care and treatment behavior. 18…”

Experience of living with type 1 diabetes in a low-income country: a qualitative study from Liberia

“…As noted, very little has been written on T1D in LICs, but studies of T2D have highlighted depression, stigma and diabetes distress or burnout. [20][21][22][23][24] Despite the implications for T1D management, very little has been written on techniques for insulin storage in hot countries with low levels of refrigeration. Ogle et al did a thorough analysis of 12 traditional techniques of refrigeration from seven countries, including goat skins and clay pots, with varying levels of effectiveness, although none were included that were reported in this study.…”