Risk factors and quality of life of patients with high diabetes-related distress in primary care: a cross-sectional, multicenter study

Abstract

Purpose: This study aimed to examine risk factors and quality of life of patients with high diabetes-related distress (DRD) in primary care.

Methods: A cross-sectional, multicenter study was conducted in four primary healthcare institutions. Patients aged ≥ 21 years with T2DM were included; patients who were pregnant or unable to communicate independently were excluded from this study. The problem area in diabetes (PAID) measuring DRD, European quality of life-5 dimensions (EQ-5D), and audit of diabetes-dependent quality of life (ADDQoL) measuring quality of life were administered by trained research assistants.

Results: A total of 525 patients were eligible for this study. The mean PAID score was 26.90 ± 20.23, with 27.8% of patients reporting having high DRD (PAID score ≥ 40). Patients who were younger than 50 years (OR 4.577, 95% CI 1.977-10.600) and patients with HbA1c greater than 9% (OR 1.720, 95% CI 1.064-2.779) were at higher risk of having high DRD (p < 0.05). Patients with high DRD have a lower EQ-5D index value (B = - 0.141) and ADDQoL AWI (B = - 1.276) than patients with little/no DRD (p < 0.001).

Conclusion: High DRD was more common among younger patients and patients with poorer glycemic control. High DRD was associated with poorer quality of life and early screening and management of DRD is recommended.

Keywords: Primary healthcare; Psychological distress; Quality of life; Risk factors; Type 2 diabetes mellitus.