article · Frontiers in Medicine
Living with diabetes involves significant emotional and mental burdens, including frustration, anxiety, and worry. A multicentre study carried out across hospitals in Northwest Ethiopia examined how psychological distress affects blood sugar management and identified factors driving distress severity. Using the Kessler 10 questionnaire, researchers evaluated patients alongside clinical glucose records. Over half of the participants suffered from severe psychological distress. Moderate and severe distress were strongly linked to poorer glycemic control compared to experiencing no distress. Furthermore, distress severity correlated with several socioeconomic and clinical elements, including lower income, healthcare financing methods, higher body mass index, taking multiple medications, co-occurring illnesses, and the fear or perception of hypoglycaemia. Conversely, engaging in self-monitoring of blood glucose and adopting lifestyle modifications were associated with lower distress. These findings indicate that integrating mental health and psychosocial support into standard diabetes care is critical for improving overall patient outcomes.
Managing chronic diseases like diabetes involves more than biological treatment. This research shows that mental and emotional distress actively undermines physical health by worsening blood sugar control. Recognising psychological distress as a major barrier allows healthcare providers to introduce integrated mental health screening and tailored psychosocial support, ultimately helping patients achieve better health and reducing long-term medical complications.
The abstract does not indicate an application pathway, as it focuses on clinical and behavioural associations rather than the development or testing of a product or commercial service.
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Background Diabetes distress is the emotional and mental burden of living with diabetes. It can include feelings of frustration, guilt, anxiety, and worry. Understanding the factors contributing to psychological distress and how it affects glycemic control can be crucial for improving patient outcomes. Therefore, this study investigated the association between psychological distress levels and glycemic control in patients with diabetes. It also identified factors associated with severity of psychological distress. Methods A multicentre cross-sectional study was conducted among patients with diabetes at selected hospitals in Northwest Ethiopia. Psychological risk distress was measured using the Kessler 10 (K10) questionnaire, validated for this population. Glycemic control was categorized as poor and good based on patients’ current glucose records and following recommended guidelines. Logistic regression examined the association between psychological distress levels and glycemic control. Linear regression assessed the association between psychological distress score and other independent variables. p-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results More than half (218, 54.2%) of the participants had severe psychological distress with a 27.4 (±4.6) mean score. Patients with moderate [AOR = 1. 85, 95% CI: 1.05–3.76] and severe [AOR = 2.84, 95% CI: 1.32–7.31] distress levels significantly had poor glycemic control compared to those with no distress. BMI [β = 0.61, 95% CI: 0.42, 71], monthly salary [β = −0.41, 95% CI: −67, −0.25], source of healthcare cost [β = −0.75, 95% CI: −2.36, −0.03], SMBG practicing [β = −0.85, 95% CI: −1.93, −0.25], lifestyle modifications [β = −1.66, 95% CI: −3.21, −0.18], number of medical conditions [β = 0.72, 95% CI: 0.57, 2.81], number of medications [β = 2.26, 95% CI: 1.05, 4.57], hypoglycaemia perception [β = 2.91, 95% CI: 1.32, 7.01], and comorbidity and/or complications [β = 3.93, 95% CI: 1.08, 6.72] were significantly associated with severity of psychological distress. Conclusion Most patients reported having moderate to severe psychological distress, which in turn, negatively impacted their glycemic control. Interventions incorporating mental health and psychosocial support should be implemented to relieve psychological distress and improve glycemic control.
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DOI: 10.3389/fmed.2025.1488023
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