The relationship between diabetes‑related distress and self‑management in empty‑nest elderly patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus:The mediating effect of self‑efficacy

摘要

Objective:The aim of this study is to investigate the mediating effect of self‑efficacy between diabetes‑related distress and self‑management in empty‑nest elderly patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM).Methods:A total of 347 empty‑nest elderly patients with T2DM from Jiangsu Province Hospital of Chinese Medicine and Affiliated Hospital of Yangzhou University were investigated by a self‑designed General Information Questionnaire,the Self‑efficacy for diabetes,the Diabetes Distress Scale,and the summary of diabetes self‑care activities.Diabetes‑related distress and diabetes self‑management were tested for correlation analysis with self‑efficacy.Meditational analyses were conducted to test the hypothesized mediating effects of diabetes self‑efficacy as an intervention variable between diabetes distress and self‑management.Results:About 68.59%of patients suffered from diabetes‑related distress.The results of bivariate correlations revealed that self‑efficacy was negatively correlated with diabetes‑related distress(r=–0.627,P<0.01)and positively correlated with self‑management(r=0.356,P<0.01).The relationship effects of diabetes distress on self‑management were fully mediated by self‑efficacy.Conclusions:Diabetes‑related distress prevails in empty‑nest elderly patients with T2DM.Self‑efficacy plays a mediate role between diabetes‑related distress and self‑management.Psychological intervention is contributed to reducing diabetes‑related distress.