Impact of negative attitudes and information-seeking behavior of adults with type 2 diabetes on treatment in Japan

Introduction Effective self-management of type 2 diabetes mellitus in adults is influenced by emotions, thoughts, and information-seeking behavior. This study examined the relationship between the negative attitudes of Japanese adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus and information-seeking behavior, and whether this is associated with lower HbA1c levels. Methods Adult outpatients with type 2 diabetes mellitus completed a questionnaire survey and the relationships between negative attitudes at diagnosis and consultation, information-seeking behavior, and HbA1c levels were examined. Results Respondents with higher HbA1c tended not to seek information ( p = 0.04) and felt they could not focus on work or study ( p = 0.02). There was a significant association between respondents who agreed that “It's my fault that things go wrong” and “I took a long time before seeing a doctor after diabetes mellitus was suspected” ( p = 0.04). Positive responses to “It's my fault that things go wrong,” “I worry about how I appear to others,” and “I feel it's undignified to ask others for help” were associated with information-seeking behavior ( p = 0.03, p = 0.02, and p = 0.01, respectively). Analyses including interactions showed that patients who delayed seeing a doctor and agreed with “It's my fault that things go wrong” adopted information-seeking behavior ( p = 0.02). Discussion It appears that, even with negative attitudes, the combination of a long time before seeing a doctor and a self-blame mindset was associated with information-seeking behavior. This suggests that, even in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients who have negative attitudes, their self-management behavior can improve if their mindset leads to information-seeking behavior.