Factors Affecting Disease Acceptance and Disease Acceptance of Individuals with Diabetes

Abstract

Aim: Disease acceptance in patients with diabetes provides disease management. It can play an important role in improving the treatment and care outcomes of diabetes, reducing disease complications, and reducing health costs. The research is a descriptive and cross-sectional study and aims to determine the disease acceptance and behaviors of individuals with diabetes. Method: The data were obtained from individuals with diabetes who applied to the diabetes outpatient clinic of a public hospital in Istanbul between November and December 2023. The inclusion criteria were composed of individuals who were diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, who were literate, who did not have vision problems, and who agreed to participate in the study. The research data were collected with the "Personal Information Form" and the "Acceptance and Action Form Scale for Diabetic Patients". A total of 266 diabetic individuals participated in the study. Results: The mean age of individuals with diabetes was 61.10±10.8 (38-85) years, the mean duration of diabetes was 7.55±3.4 years, and the mean acceptance score was 43.74±9.2. In the study, it was found that married individuals with diabetes had lower disease acceptance levels than single or divorced/widowed individuals (p<0.05), individuals with diabetes with a disease duration of 1-10 years had higher disease acceptance levels than those with a disease duration of 11 years or more (p<0.05), and individuals with diabetes who received education had higher disease acceptance levels than those who did not receive education (p=0.001). In the developed multiple linear model, marital status, duration of diabetes, and diabetes education variables explain 46% of the variance of disease acceptance (r=0.68; R2 =0.46; p=0.000). Conclusion: As a result, the disease acceptance of patients with diabetes is slightly above the moderate level. Factors affecting disease acceptance are that the duration of diabetes is not long and participation in diabetes education is ensured. It can play an important role in improving the treatment and care outcomes of diabetes, reducing disease complications, and reducing health costs.