Prevalence and correlates of psychological distress among diabetes mellitus adults in the Jilin province in China: a cross-sectional study.

Shuang Qiu,Xuan Hong Sun,Ri Li,Bo Li,Joseph Sam Kanu,Qin Ya Yu,Feng Xu Huang,Yang Xiang Zhang,Wen Ya Liu

doi:10.7717/peerj.2869

Abstract

BackgroundPsychological disorders are common in diabetes mellitus (DM) patients, and the aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of psychological distress and to determine the influence factors associated with psychological distress among DM patients in the Jilin province of China.Methods and MaterialsMultistage, stratified cluster sampling was used in this cross-sectional study. The 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) was used to assess psychological status with the total score of ≥4 as the threshold for psychological distress.ResultsA total of 1,956 subjects with DM were included in the study. Out of this total diabetic participants, 524 (26.8%) had psychological distress. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that low educational level, divorce or separation from one’s spouse, low family average monthly income, short sleep duration, being aware of DM status, and multiple co-morbidities are positively associated with psychological distress (all P < 0.05).ConclusionsThis study revealed a high rate of psychological distress among DM population in Jilin province. Low educational level, divorce or separation from one’s spouse, low family average monthly income, short sleep duration, awareness of DM status, and multiple co-morbidities are all associated with psychological distress among our study subjects. Interventions to control these factors are needed to address the psychological problems among diabetics in Jilin Province.

Highlights

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is one of the most common chronic metabolic diseases, and is a major health problem in many countries (Fisher et al, 2012; Whiting et al, 2011)
Psychological disorders are common in diabetes mellitus (DM) patients, and the aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of psychological distress and to determine the influence factors associated with psychological distress among DM patients in the Jilin province of China
Participants who had two kinds of other diseases (OR = 1.534 [1.129 2.084], P = 0.006), and three or more other diseases (OR = 2.473 [1.635 3.739], P < 0.001) were associated with a lower prevalence of psychological distress than participants without any other diseases. This population-based study adds to the literature that the prevalence of psychological distress (GHQ-12 total score ≥4) among DM patients in the Jilin province of China is 26.8%, higher than that the 18.9% reported for England and Scottish DM populations (Hamer et al, 2010), and higher than the Quebec and Canada DM populations (22.1%) (Smith et al, 2013)

Summary

Introduction

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is one of the most common chronic metabolic diseases, and is a major health problem in many countries (Fisher et al, 2012; Whiting et al, 2011). Divorce or separation from one's spouse, low family average monthly income, short sleep duration, awareness of DM status, and multiple co-morbidities are all associated with psychological distress among our study subjects Interventions to control these factors are needed to address the psychological problems among diabetics in Jilin Province.

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