Comparing the Quality of Life and Emotional Intelligence among Patients with Psychosomatic Disease (Type 2 Diabetes) and Healthy Individuals

Abstract

Type 2 diabetes is one of the psychosomatic diseases, and stress has a great effect on its development, severity, recurrence, and chronicity. The present study was carried out in order to compare quality of life and emotional intelligence among type 2 diabetic patients and healthy individuals. The present study was a causal-comparative investigation. The statistical population included all type 2 diabetic patients who had referred to the hospitals and clinics of Zanjan, Iran during 21st May to 21st August 2016. Convenience sampling was employed. The sample size was 160 individuals (80 patients and 80 healthy individuals). Data collection instruments were SF-36 Quality of Life Questionnaire and Schutte Emotional Intelligence Scale. MANOVA was utilized to analyze the collected data. The results of the present study showed that there was a significant difference between patients with type 2 diabetes and healthy individuals in terms of quality of life and components of physical health and mental health (p<0.01). There was also a significant difference between them with regard to their emotional intelligence and components of emotion regulation, emotion expression, and emotion use (p<0.01). Based on the results of the present study regarding the remarkable effect of diabetes on decrease in quality of life and emotional intelligence among patients, it is highly significant to pay attention to quality of life and mental status of such individuals and try to improve them through better training, following up, and controlling the disease, and these issues need to be taken into serious account in treatment of these patients.