The effect of family support on anxiety and depression in type 2 diabetes patients

The aim of the study was to examine the level of family support on anxiety and depression in patients diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. The research is descriptive and correlational design. The research was conducted between 08.04.2023-08.10.2023. The population of the study consisted of Type 2 diabetes patients receiving outpatient and inpatient treatment in Sivas State Hospital. The sample of the study consisted of 213 patients who volunteered to participate in the study. The study was conducted through face-to-face questionnaire filling. Personal Information Form, Hensarling Di abetes Family Support Scale (HDFSS) and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) were used to collect the data. The research was evaluated with SPSS 22.0 statistical program. Numerical values, ratios, minimum and maximum values, median, arithmetic mean and standard deviation were calculated in the statistical analysis process. Analysis methods included t-test, analysis of variance (ANOVA), Pearson correlation test, Mann-Whitney U test, Kruskal-Wallis test and Spearman correlation test. In further analysis, LSD test was applied for homogeneous variances and Dunnett C test was applied for non-homogeneous variances. The confidence interval of the study was 95% and the significance level was p<0.05. The total score of HDADÖ was 83.62±21.79. The HDAS scores were anxiety 9.11±4.74 and depression 8.94±3.7. While 56.8% of the patients had no anxiety, 69.5% had depression. Support systems, especially empathic, encouraging, facilitating and sharing support dimensions were found to have an effect on the mental health of diabetic patients. It was found that the mean depression score was higher in patients with mental illness in themselves, in their families, in patients with another chronic disease accompanying diabetes, in patients with a family history of diabetes, and in patients with chronic complications related to diabetes. In the study, female gender was found to be a risk for anxiety in type 2 diabetes patients. It was found that those with university and higher education, those with higher income than expenditure, those living in the city, those who monitor blood glucose, and those who do not smoke have higher perceptions of family support. In the study, as the HDAS score increased, the HADS scores decreased. Training programs should be developed for health professionals and patient relatives in order for diabetic patients to get maximum benefit from their support systems. It is recommended to conduct long-term studies that examine the effects of diabetes on mental health in more detail, to strengthen family support and the role of health professionals, to implement psychosocial intervention strategies, to measure the effectiveness of support systems and to establish feedback mechanisms. Keywords: Type 2 diabetes, diabetes mellitus, family support, anxiety, depression