Adults with diabetes more likely to report mental stress during the COVID-19 pandemic
An online survey of U.S. adults in mid-2020, most of whom were White women, found that those with diabetes were less likely to report resilience and more likely to experience depression than adults without diabetes.
Adults with diabetes appeared more likely than those without to experience depression and other mental health problems during the COVID-19 pandemic, a recent study found.
Researchers conducted an online survey of U.S. adults between May 29 and June 30, 2020, to compare mental health experiences associated with COVID-19 in those with and without diabetes. The survey asked about demographic characteristics; experiences with COVID-19; symptoms of depression (measured by the eight-item Patient Health Questionnaire) and anxiety (measured by the seven-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder); perceived stress (measured by the 17-item Diabetes Distress Scale); resilience (measured by the Brief Resilience Scale); and, in those with diabetes, diabetes-related distress. The study results were published Nov. 17 by Diabetes Care.
Overall, 2,716 adults completed the survey. Mean age was 49.6 years, and most participants were women (80.0%) and White (88.3%). Over half (57.6%) had an annual household income of $60,000 or more. One hundred participants (4.6%) reported a diagnosis of type 1 diabetes, 304 (13.9%) reported a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes, and 145 (6.6%) reported a diagnosis of prediabetes. Those with type 1 diabetes reported more diabetes distress than those with type 2 diabetes (P<0.05), while those with type 2 diabetes had significantly more comorbid conditions and risk factors for COVID-19 compared with the other patient groups (P<0.01 for all comparisons). In an analysis that controlled for covariates, those with type 2 diabetes reported significantly more symptoms of depression and less resilience versus those without diabetes (P<0.05 for both comparisons). In subgroup analyses by sex and age, women and younger adults reported significantly more depression and anxiety symptoms, stress, and diabetes-related distress and lower levels of resilience than men and participants ages 51 years or older.
The authors noted that their sample was skewed toward White, female, and highly educated participants and included a relatively small number of participants with diabetes, among other limitations, so they cautioned about generalizing these results to other groups. They concluded that in this observational survey, participants with type 2 diabetes reported more depression, lower resilience, and significantly more COVID-19 risk factors and comorbid conditions than those without diabetes and said that their findings help increase understanding of the emotional and behavioral effects of COVID-19. “Findings from this study outline the magnitude and scope of the emotional impact of these events and inform the adaptation of existing mental health interventions that may be used in the future, particularly as the pandemic continues,” they wrote.