Psychosocial Adjustment to Disease in Individuals with Diabetes

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Objectives:The present descriptive study aimed to determine the psychosocial adjustment of diabetic patients to their disease. Methods:The study sample consisted of inpatients in the endocrinology and metabolic diseases service of a university hospital in Ankara and a total of 122 patients diagnosed with diabetes who were referred to the polyclinic of the same hospital.Data were collected using the "Patient Information Form" prepared by the researcher upon reviewing the literature, the "Psychosocial Adjustment to the Illness Scale -Self-Report," and "Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support."Mann-Whitney U test, Kruskal-Wallis test, and Spearman correlation coefficient, as well as descriptive statistics, were used to analyze the data. Results:The diabetic patients' score average of psychosocial adjustment to their disease was 45±19.1.The areas that affected psychosocial adjustment the most were found to be the orientation to healthcare, vocational environment, sexual relationships, and psychological distress.Of the patients, 34.4% were observed to be well adjusted, 29.5% moderately adjusted, and 36.1% poorly adjusted.The patients' education level, profession, frequency of undergoing medical controls, and diet and exercise status, but not their age, years of diabetes, and use of oral antidiabetics along with insulin, were found to affect their psychosocial adjustment.The total psychosocial adjustment and adjustment to the areas of orientation to healthcare, domestic environment, extended family relationships, social environment, and psychological distress of diabetic patients increased as their social support increase. Conclusion:The present study demonstrated the psychosocial adjustment of diabetic patients to be at a medium level.