The relationship of diabetes stigma with depression, anxiety, stress levels and eating behaviors in individuals with Type 2 diabetes

Yurdagül, F. (2024). The Relationship of Diabetes Stigma with Depression, Anxiety, Stress Levels and Eating Behaviors in Individuals with Type 2 Diabetes. Yeditepe University, Institute Of Health Science, Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Master Thesis, İstanbul Interpreting the association between diabetes stigma in individuals with type 2 diabetes and their eating behaviors, as well as levels of depression, anxiety, and stress is the goal of this sudy which is cross-sectional based on a survey. The research was conducted on 154 volunteer adult individuals over the age of 18 who applied to the Turkish Diabetes Foundation in Istanbul between April 2023 and August 2023 and were voluntarily diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Individuals with gestational diabetes and those who followed a diet program or received consultancy services from a dietitian during the data collection phase were not included in the study. A form in which the demographic characteristics and health information of the participants were questioned was used as a data collection tool. Additionally, the "Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire", "Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale" and "Type 2 Diabetes Stigma Assessment Scale" were used. Statistical program for social sciences (SPSS 22.0) was used to analyze the data. Statistical significance level was taken as p<.05. The study found that stigma related to type 2 diabetes was positively correlated with depression, anxiety and stress. Additionally, emotional and external eating were positively associated with type 2 diabetes stigma, whereas there was not association with restrictive eating. Moreover, a relationship was observed between participants' age, BMI, obesity status, HbA1c levels, insulin use status with their stigma levels. This study revealed that exposure to stigmatization of individuals with type 2 diabetes may have an impact on both their eating behavior and psychological health. Since type 2 diabetes is a very common chronic disease in our country, it is important to raise awareness about the stigma associated with this disease and to make healthcare professionals and family members aware of this issue. Therefore, more emphasis can be placed on the stigma exposure of individuals with Type 2 diabetes in our country. Future more comprehensive studies of type 2 diabetes stigma and its relationship with both eating behavior and psychological distress are needed. Keywords: Type 2 Diabetes, Stigma, Depression, Anxiety, Stress, Eating Behaviour