Assessment of awareness and acceptance of type 2 diabetes and psychological insulin resistance in individuals with the disease

Aim: The aim of this study is to assess the levels of disease awareness and acceptance among patients with type 2 diabetes, as well as their psychological insulin resistance. Material and Method: The population of this descriptive, cross-sectional, and exploratory study consists of patients diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes who were hospitalized in the internal medicine and surgical clinics of Mengücek Gazi Training and Research Hospital between October 2024 and March 2025. The study sample consists of 210 patients diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes who met the inclusion criteria established for the study’s objectives during the specified time period. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews using the Patient Demographic Form, the Psychological Insulin Resistance (PIR) Scale for Patients with Diabetes, and the Diabetes Awareness and Acceptance Scale (DAAS). The data were analyzed using SPSS 22. Results: In the study, the participants’ mean DAAS score was 70.72±22.61, and their mean PID scale score was 35.84±12.00. It was found that individuals with a higher level of education, who were employed, had a good income, adhered to their diet, took their medications regularly, attended regular checkups, received diabetes education, and exercised had higher levels of diabetes awareness and acceptance as well as higher psychological insulin resistance scores (p<0.05). Furthermore, while a significant negative correlation was found between age and scores on the DAAS and PID scales (p<0.05), a significant positive correlation was found between these two scales (p<0.05). Conclusion: Our study found that patients with Type 2 diabetes had levels of diabetes awareness and acceptance, as well as psychological insulin resistance, that were above moderate. We concluded that as levels of awareness and acceptance increased among diabetes patients, so did their psychological insulin resistance.