Comparison of perceived social support and health-related quality of life in adults with type 2 diabetes before and after the COVID-19 pandemic

This study investigates the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on perceived social support and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in individuals with type 2 diabetes in the capital of Iran. This longitudinal study, part of the Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study (TLGS), was conducted from 2017 to 2019. Among 389 eligible participants, 321 adults (61.4% women) with type 2 diabetes were enrolled. Data on social support and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) were collected both prior to the pandemic and 3–4 months after its onset in Iran. Standardized, validated, and reliable questionnaires were employed to evaluate social support and HRQoL. Paired t-tests and repeated measures analyses were used to compare scores before and after the pandemic. Participants had a mean age of 56.6 ± 13.2 years and a body mass index of 28.5 ± 4.6 kg/m2. Before the pandemic, mean scores for the PCS and MCS were 45.7 ± 8.6 and 49.7 ± 10.6, respectively, compared to 48.5 ± 7.9 and 44.2 ± 10.1 after the pandemic. While total perceived social support scores showed no significant change, subscale differences emerged by sex. Notably, both men and women reported significantly lower MCS scores post-pandemic (p < 0.01), while PCS scores significantly increased in women (43.45 ± 9.0 vs. 47.9 ± 8.0; p < 0.001). The study indicates an improvement in physical HRQoL for women with diabetes, alongside a decline in mental HRQoL for both sexes, possibly associated with varying social support dynamics during the early stage of the pandemic in an urban Iranian population.