Abstract
Carbohydrate metabolism disorders resulting in hyperglycemia are among the most common metabolic complications of pregnancy. According to 2017 data from the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), 16.2% of pregnancies are complicated with hyperglycemia, of which gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) accounts for 86.4% of cases. Carbohydrate metabolism disorders developing during pregnancy require the patient to change her lifestyle or, in some cases, to undergo pharmaceutical treatment, which may affect various aspects of the patient’s life, including her perceived quality of life (QoL). The purpose of the present study was to evaluate levels of QoL, social support, acceptance of illness, and self-efficacy among pregnant patients with hyperglycemia. The study was performed between July 2016 and September 2017 in a group of hyperglycemic pregnant women. The following instruments were used: the World Health Organization Quality of Life—BREF (WHOQOL-BREF), the Berlin Social Support Scales (BSSS), the Acceptance of Illness Scale (AIS), the Generalized Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES) and a standardized interview questionnaire. Participants rated their overall QoL (3.64 points) higher than their overall perceived health (3.43). In terms of social support, the highest scores were obtained in terms of actually received support (3.53) and perceived available instrumental support (3.52), while the lowest in terms of support seeking (2.99) and the need for support (2.95). The mean acceptance of illness score among the hyperglycemic pregnant women that were studied was 31.37, and the mean generalized self-efficacy score was 31.58. Participants’ reported QoL in the various WHOQOL-BREF domains was associated with specific social support scales, acceptance of illness, and generalized self-efficacy.
Highlights
In the context of a global obesity and diabetes epidemic, research demonstrates a constant upward trend in the number of women with carbohydrate metabolism disorders during pregnancy
quality of life (QoL) scores in the specific WHO Quality of Life Group (WHOQOL)-BREF domains obtained in the present study are to some extent consistent with those reported by other researchers
The present study demonstrates a correlation between QoL and social support in pregnant women with hyperglycemia
Summary
In the context of a global obesity and diabetes epidemic, research demonstrates a constant upward trend in the number of women with carbohydrate metabolism disorders during pregnancy. According to 2017 data from the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), 16.2% of pregnancies are complicated with hyperglycemia, of which gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) accounts for 86.4% of cases [1,2]. Other sources report that hyperglycemia occurs as a complication of pregnancy in 1%–22% of cases worldwide. This large variation in estimates of the incidence of hyperglycemia in pregnant women is due to the heterogeneous protocols for diagnosing and classifying the disorder used in various regions of the world [3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14]. Public Health 2019, 16, 3941; doi:10.3390/ijerph16203941 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph
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