Gender Difference across Diabetes Distress, Cognitive Emotional Regulation, and Diabetes Related Quality of Life among Type II Diabetics

Background. Diabetes Mellitus is widely acknowledged as a major public health issue and is a prominent concern for middle- and lower-income countries like Pakistan. Considering its impact on physical and psychological health, scarce literature and limited prevalence surveys have halted the efforts to cope with this chronic illness adding to the disease burden. Method. Keeping this broader context in mind the present research employed a cross-sectional research design, with an aim to examine gender differences across psychological aspects related to Type II diabetes, sample (N = 100) was approached to respond on a set of questionnaires including Diabetes Distress Scale, Cognitive Emotional Regulation Questionnaire, and Revised Version of Diabetes Quality of Life. Results were analyzed on SPSS 26 Version. Results. Significant gender differences were observed across all study variables indicating that female had higher diabetic distress, poor diabetes related quality of life, and use more negative cognitive emotional regulation strategies in comparison to men. In comparison, men use more positive cognitive emotional regulation strategies to cope with the distress related to illness. Conclusion. These findings of the present research could support in providing psychological help to diabetic patients considering their coping strategies and dealing with stress related to disease. These findings further highlight that differential interventions need to be designed for males and females to deal with distress related to diabetes. Awareness sessions, educational programs, intervention strategies could further be designed considering demographic related differences and other indigenous factors.