Social stigma and diabetes related distress amongst individuals with diabetes

Abstract

Background: Individuals with diabetes tend to feel stigmatised, distressed or both while managing their diabetes. The social stigma and distress experienced whilst having a chronic condition may adversely affect the way individuals deal with their illness. While social stigma and distress have been widely studied in relation to conditions affecting mental illness, literature on diabetes related stigma and distress is limited. Objectives: To evaluate the effects of social stigma and distress on individuals living with diabetes. Design and Methods: A descriptive, cross-sectional design characterised by the collection of data through the Diabetes Distress Scale (DDS) and the Diabetes Stigma Assessment Scale (DSAS) questionnaires. These were disseminated to a conveniently recruited sample of individuals who attended community based and hospital-based clinics. A total of 243 questionnaires were returned and used in this study. Participants: Adults with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes aged 18 and over. These were contacted by the charge nurses of the departments from where the participants were recruited. Results: The study findings suggest that moderate levels of distress and stigma were present amongst the participants. Most participants felt the most distressed when managing their medications daily. Young individuals, participants that had a high level of education and those that were not on insulin felt the most distressed. With regards to stigma the most that felt stigmatised were employed, young, having type 1 diabetes and not using insulin. Conclusion: More studies need to be carried out locally on social stigma and distress. More should be done to address these problems in order to ease the individual’s burden, so they are able to manage their diabetes better.