The effect of acceptance of disease on comfort level of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus

ABSTRACT The Effect of Acceptance of Disease on Comfort Level of Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Aim: The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of the acceptance of illness on comfort level in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Material and method: This cross-sectional study was conducted between August 2017 and July 2018. The population of the study consisted of 812 adult individuals with type 2 diabetes, who were receiving treatment in the endocrine service of a university hospital located in Malatya. The sample consisted of 264 patients. In order to decrease the margin of error, 561 patients were included in the study. Patient Questionnaire, Acceptance of Illness Scale (AIS), and General Comfort Questionnaire (GCQ) were used to collect data. In the statistical evaluation, number, percentage, mean, independent samples t test, Kruskal Wallis, Anova, and Correlation analysis were used. Results: Most of the individuals were female, married, primary school graduate, and housewife, had an income equal to expenses, had additional chronical diseases, had training for diabetes, come to the control for once in four months, used OAD, and had retinopathy. The average age for individuals was 48.25±15.19 and their period of diagnosis was 8.55±6.40 years. While GCQ mean score for individuals was 2.79±0.34, their mean score of AIS was 25.1±6.85. It was determined that the acceptance and comfort level of individuals were moderate. A positive and significant correlation was found among total mean score of AIS and GCQ (p<0.05). Conclusion: It was determined that while there was a positive correlation between acceptance and comfort level, the comfort increased with increasing acceptance level. Key words: Acceptance of disease, comfort level, nursing, type 2 diabetes