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Quality of life is an important health outcome for patients with Type 2 diabetes. Previous evidences have indicated that resilience, social support, and emotional distress are significantly associated with quality of life. However, the causal paths among social support, resilience, emotional distress, and quality of life have been less examined, especially in Asian populations with type 2 diabetes.
Purpose:
The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to test a hypothesized model addressing the paths of social support, resilience, and emotional distress on quality of life in patients with type 2 diabetes.
Methods:
Patients diagnosed with T2DM for at least six months were recruited from one medical center and three local endocrine clinics in Taiwan by convenience sampling. A self-reported anonymous questionnaire was used to collect information regarding social support, resilience, diabetes-specific emotional distress, and quality of life. A hypothesized path model was tested by structural equation modelling.
Results:
Overall, 600 patients (n=337, 56.2% males; and n=263, 43.8% females) aged 20 to 84 years with a mean of 58.25±11.37 years participated in the study. The means of social support, resilience, diabetes-specific emotional distress, and quality of life were at medium to high levels. Social support (r=.22), resilience (r=.28), and diabetes-specific emotional distress (r=-.43) were significantly associated with quality of life. Social support significantly associated with resilience (r=.40) and diabetes-specific emotional distress (r=-.24). Resilience was significantly associated with diabetes-specific emotional distress (r=-.28). Structural equation modelling indicated that social support significantly directly influenced resilience (β=.40), diabetes-specific emotional distress (β=-.15), and quality of life (β=.13). Resilience significantly directly influenced diabetes-specific emotional distress (β= -.22), and also significantly indirectly influenced quality of life through diabetes-specific emotional distress (β=.09). Diabetes-specific emotional distress significantly directly affected quality of life (β= -.40).
Conclusion:
Enhancing social support and resilience might help to reduce emotional distress and, finally, improve the quality of life of patients with type 2 diabetes. Further longitudinal and experimental studies are needed to confirm the directions among variables addressed in the model.