To Examine Relationships Between Diabetes Distress and Performance of Diabetes Self-Care

Introduction : Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a main, highly prevalent, and challenging public health issue. Suboptimal self-care for type II diabetes can lead to poor glycemic control, complications, and even death. Objective: This study investigated the relationships between diabetes distress and performance of diabetes self-care activities. Methods: A correlational, cross-sectional design with a convenient sample of 450 participants was chosen from the population of Dehradun was used to conduct this study. Two questionnaires were administered: (A) the demographic and medical data questionnaire; (B) the diabetes distress scale. Results: Most of the participants were employed (49.8%), gender distribution was relatively balanced, with 48.7% male and 51.3% female participants. Regarding age, 48.4% of the participants were 50 years older. The HbA1c readings showed that 42.4% of participants fell within the 7-8.9% range, suggesting a significant proportion with suboptimal glycemic control. The mean difference between pre- and post-DDS scores is 0.406 (SD = 0.122), indicating a reduction in diabetes distress following the intervention. Conclusion: Diabetes-specific self-efficacy and distress may be important mechanisms linking social support with diabetes self-care and clinical outcomes. Social support interventions could explore whether improving diabetes self-efficacy and decreasing diabetes distress could help improve self-care.