An analysis of diabetes empowerment and distress in patients of diabetes mellitus type 2

Pages: 757-762
Gitanjali Kapoor and Kamayani Mathur (Department of Psychology, Gujarat University, Ahmedabad, Gujarat )

Diabetes makes many demands on lifestyle and poses debilitating and life-threatening complications which overall have a negative impact on a patient’s well-being and social life. India is presently home to 62 million diabetics an increase of nearly 2 million in just one year with more than 50 % of them unacquainted of their condition. Thus the objective of the present research was to study the level of diabetes empowerment and resulting distress in the patients of type 2 diabetes. A total sample of 120 diabetics aged 45 to 70 years equally divided gender-wise was selected from different hospitals of Ahmedabad city through purposive sampling method. The Diabetes Empowerment Scale (Anderson, 2000) and Diabetes Distress Scale (Polonsky, 2005) were administered to the subjects. ANOVA was used to statistically analyze the data. The results revealed that diabetes empowerment was observed to be less in females than in males and more so in the patients with diabetes duration of less than 7 years. Males were found to be better at managing the psychological aspects of diabetes and setting and achieving diabetes goals. Emotional burden, physician related distress and interpersonal distress were observed to be higher in females than in males. Type 2 diabetics with duration of diabetes less than 7 years had more diabetes distress.