Diabetes Distress Scale (DDS-17): European Portuguese Validation

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is currently one of the main public health challenges, not only because of its physical complications, but also because of the emotional impact associated with its chronic management. Diabetes distress (DD) is defined as the emotional response that results from living with DM and the consequent self-care required to manage it. The Diabetes Distress Scale (DDS-17) is an instrument used to assess DD. The aim of this study was to translate and culturally adapt the DDS-17 into European Portuguese, assessing its psychometric properties.

Cross-sectional study divided into three phases: translation and back-translation; cultural adaptation with pre-testing in 30 patients; and psychometric validation (descriptive analysis of the items, exploratory factor analysis and reliability analysis) with 170 patients with type 2 DM from three Primary Care Units of the Braga Local Health Unit.

The European Portuguese version of the DDS-17 replicated the four original factors. Internal consistency was high (total Cronbach's alpha = 0.89), with all subscales scoring above 0.70. The overall DD was considered low (M = 1.68), but the "emotional burden related to DM" subscale showed values suggestive of moderate DD (M = 2.07).

The European Portuguese version of the DDS-17 showed adequate validity and reliability and could be used in clinical and research contexts to better understand and manage DD in patients with type 2 DM in Portugal.