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Risk factors and quality of life of patients with high diabetes-related distress in primary care: a cross-sectional, multicenter study

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Abstract

Purpose

This study aimed to examine risk factors and quality of life of patients with high diabetes-related distress (DRD) in primary care.

Methods

A cross-sectional, multicenter study was conducted in four primary healthcare institutions. Patients aged ≥ 21 years with T2DM were included; patients who were pregnant or unable to communicate independently were excluded from this study. The problem area in diabetes (PAID) measuring DRD, European quality of life-5 dimensions (EQ-5D), and audit of diabetes-dependent quality of life (ADDQoL) measuring quality of life were administered by trained research assistants.

Results

A total of 525 patients were eligible for this study. The mean PAID score was 26.90 ± 20.23, with 27.8% of patients reporting having high DRD (PAID score ≥ 40). Patients who were younger than 50 years (OR 4.577, 95% CI 1.977–10.600) and patients with HbA1c greater than 9% (OR 1.720, 95% CI 1.064–2.779) were at higher risk of having high DRD (p < 0.05). Patients with high DRD have a lower EQ-5D index value (B = − 0.141) and ADDQoL AWI (B = − 1.276) than patients with little/no DRD (p < 0.001).

Conclusion

High DRD was more common among younger patients and patients with poorer glycemic control. High DRD was associated with poorer quality of life and early screening and management of DRD is recommended.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Joslin Diabetes Center, Health Psychology Research Ltd, and EuroQol Research Foundation for granting us the permission to use the questionnaires in our study. In addition, we would also like to thank all the doctors, nurses, and staff for supporting this study.

Funding

This study was supported by a Health Services Research Competitive Research Grant (HSR CRG) from the Ministry of Health, Singapore (HSRG/11MAY/016).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Science, National University of Singapore, Block S4A, Level 3, 18 Science Drive 4, Singapore, 117543, Singapore

    Sze Mian Lim, Melanie Yee Lee Siaw & Joyce Yu-Chia Lee

  2. Department of Family Medicine, National University Polyclinics, Singapore, 659164, Singapore

    Keith Yu Kei Tsou

  3. Department of Pharmacy, Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore, 308433, Singapore

    Kwee Keng Kng & Joyce Yu-Chia Lee

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  1. Sze Mian Lim
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Correspondence to Joyce Yu-Chia Lee.

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The authors declare no conflict of interest in this study.

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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Written informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Lim, S.M., Siaw, M.Y.L., Tsou, K. et al. Risk factors and quality of life of patients with high diabetes-related distress in primary care: a cross-sectional, multicenter study. Qual Life Res 28, 491–501 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11136-018-1994-1

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