Factors Affecting the Quality of Life and the Illness Acceptance of Pregnant Women with Diabetes.

Agnieszka Bień,Ewa Rzońca,Grażyna Iwanowicz-Palus,Angelika Kańczugowska

doi:10.3390/ijerph13010068

Abstract

The paper contains an analysis of the factors affecting the quality of life (QoL) and the illness acceptance of diabetic pregnant women. The study was performed between January and April, 2013. It included 114 pregnant women with diabetes, hospitalized in the High Risk Pregnancy Wards of several hospitals in Lublin, Poland. The study used a diagnostic survey with questionnaires. The research instruments used were: The WHOQOL-Bref questionnaire and the Acceptance of Illness Scale (AIS). The women’s general quality of life was slightly higher than their perceived general health. A higher quality of life was reported by women with a very good financial standing, very good perceived health, moderate self-reported knowledge of diabetes, and also by those only treated with diet and stating that the illness did not interfere with their lives (p < 0.05). Women with a very good financial standing (p < 0.009), high self-reported health (p < 0.002), and those treated with by means of a diet (p < 0.04) had a higher acceptance of illness. A higher acceptance of illness contributes to a higher general quality of life and a better perception of one’s health.

Highlights

Diabetes is one of the most frequent metabolic complications of pregnancy
Hyperglycemia observed in earlier gestational weeks may indicate previously undiagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus or type 1 diabetes developing during the pregnancy
The main objective of the study was to analyze the factors affecting quality of life and illness acceptance in women diagnosed with diabetes during pregnancy

Summary

Introduction

Diabetes is one of the most frequent metabolic complications of pregnancy. It affects approx.0.3% of women of reproductive age; in pregnant women the frequency is approx. 2%–6% [1].Like other chronic illnesses, diabetes can adversely affect virtually all aspects of a patient’s life.It often leads to a deterioration in the patient’s physical and psychological wellbeing, a change in their lifestyle and its adaptation to the illness, as well as changes in physical, professional, and social activity and values. Diabetes is one of the most frequent metabolic complications of pregnancy. It often leads to a deterioration in the patient’s physical and psychological wellbeing, a change in their lifestyle and its adaptation to the illness, as well as changes in physical, professional, and social activity and values. All this affects the patient's quality of life [2,3,4,5,6]. Hyperglycemia observed in earlier gestational weeks may indicate previously undiagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus or type 1 diabetes developing during the pregnancy

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusion