Prevalence and association of various socio-clinical variables with diabetes distress in a rural diabetic population of Jammu District, India

Background: Diabetes mellitus, a chronic metabolic disorder, affects both the physical and mental health of a diabetic patient. Diabetic distress includes feelings of worry, fear, guilt and frustration regarding the complexity and management of diabetes. The study aimed to assess the prevalence of diabetes distress and the association of socio-clinical variables with diabetes distress in rural diabetic patients. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among diabetic patients aged 20 years and above in the R.S. Pura block, which is a field practice area of the PG department of Community Medicine, Government Medical College Jammu. After collecting socio-demographic and clinical data, the diabetes distress scale (DDS-17) was administered to assess the diabetic distress among the participants. Chi-Square was the test of significance used. Results: The prevalence of diabetes distress in this rural diabetic population was found to be 32.68%. Among the socio-demographic variables, gender, age, religion, literacy levels, family history of diabetes, etc., were significantly associated with diabetes distress (p<0.05). The clinical variables significantly associated with diabetes distress were BMI, presence of co-morbidities, duration of diabetes and treatment modality (p<0.05). Conclusions: Almost one-third of this rural diabetic study population was suffering from diabetes distress, which clearly reflects that, irrespective of place of residence, diabetes distress is increasingly becoming a cause of concern. So, early screening of diabetic patients for distress is advised to take remedial steps at the incipient stages.