Physical and psychosocial factors associated with depression among adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus at a Federally Qualified Healthcare Center

ABSTRACT

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine the prevalence of depression and physical and psychosocial factors associated with depression among adults with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM).

Methods: The sample included 421 patients with T2DM at a Federally Qualified Healthcare Center in a southern state. The Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) was used to measure the severity of depression.

Results: The multiple logistic regression analyses revealed that the likelihood of depression increased as the level of pain increased and as the level of ambulation difficulties increased. The likelihood of depression increased as the number of traumatic events increased and as the number of SES-related stressors increased. Expectedly, the likelihood of depression decreased as levels of self-esteem increased.

Conclusions: The findings support that health care providers developing care plans for individuals with diabetes need to include assessments and interventions that address both the physical and psychosocial needs of patients.

KEYWORDS:

• Depression
• lifetime traumatic events
• physical health
• self-esteem
• stressors
• type 2 diabetes

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge the Gulf Region Health Outreach Program for funding and support. The Gulf Region Health Outreach Program was developed jointly by BP and the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee as part of the Deepwater Horizon Medical Benefits Class Action Settlement, which was approved by the U.S. District Court in New Orleans on January 11, 2013 and became effective on February 12, 2014. The Outreach Program is supervised by the court, and is funded with $105 million from the Medical Settlement.

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.