Diabetes

About this book

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Diabetes is the most serious health problems in the world. Quality of life of patients with diabetes decrease because they didn’t have a correct illness perception. So, the recognition of determinants in individual's Illness Perception in stressful situations such as diabetic patients' life to increase their abilities in management and control of their illness, has been an important subject in behavioral science studies. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This study as a descriptive, analytical, and cross sectional investigated the quality of life, illness perception and attachment styles in elder patients with diabetes. Present study performed on 300 patients (172 males and 128 females) with diabetes between the ages of 45-75 years old. The objective data Observation, Demographic and the quality of life questionnaire (D-39; Boyer & Earp,1997) and Attachment Inventory (AI; Hazan & Shaver,1987), The Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire (Brief IPQ; Boardbent, Petrie, Main & Weinman,2006). RESULTS: There were positive correlations between quality of life, and secure attachment style, personal control, coherence. Also, avoidant and ambivalent attachment styles, consequence, identity, concern, and emotional response have negative correlations with quality of life. Results of stepwise regression analysis revealed that the influences of three attachment styles on quality of life were partly mediated by illness perception. Secure, ambivalence and avoidant attachment styles and illness perception subscales could explain the variance of quality of life in diabetics. CONCLUSIONS: These results can be helpful in devising preventive policies, determining high risk elder patients and planning for psychological interventions.