Diabetes-related distress among type 1 and type 2 diabetes patients in Saudi Arabia

Studies have shown that diabetes negatively affects mental health, and that depression is twice as common among individuals with diabetes.

To evaluate diabetes-related distress and its association with complications, treatment adherence and clinical outcomes in Saudi Arabia.

This cross-sectional study collected data from 269 patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus at a tertiary hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, using the Diabetes Distress Scale (DDS). The data were analysed using SPSS version 25.

Overall, 12.3% of the participants reported diabetes-related high distress (DDS-17 score > 3), 38.7% moderate distress (> 2) and 49.0% little or no distress. The most reported type of distress was regimen-related distress (22.7%), followed by emotional burden (15.6%), physician-related distress (14.9%), and interpersonal distress (10.4%). Treatment adherence was significantly associated with lower distress levels across all domains (P < 0.05). Higher diabetes-related distress scores correlated with elevated haemoglobin A1c levels and diabetes-related complications. Females had significantly more neurologic and more visual complications than males (P < 0.001).

Our findings show that diabetes-related distress, particularly regimen-related and physician-related distresses, has significant effects on clinical outcomes for type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus patients. There is therefore a need for physicians to integrate diabetes-related distress assessment and management into routine diabetes care, including providing guidance on daily disease management and lifestyle changes as preventive measures for diabetesrelated distress.