Diabetes mellitus is on the rise in the United States with 8.3% of the population
currently affected by the disease. High rates of depression are common among
diabetes patients, complicating diabetes self-care. Inadequate self-care leads to
impaired glycemic control and disease complications. Social support has been
identified as a resource in managing diabetes self-care; however, associations among
psychological distress, diabetes self-care, and social support are not often studied for
adult patients with diabetes. The purpose of this study was to conduct a crosssectional,
secondary data analysis examining relationships among social support,
diabetes self-care, depressive symptoms and diabetes-related emotional distress for
222 diabetes participants (49.5% with type 1 and 50.5% with type 2 diabetes) in poor
glycemic control (HbA1c > 7.5%). The present study used data from the Joslin
Diabetes Center to assess associations among these variables. Negative associations
were found between social support and depressive symptoms as well as depressive
symptoms and self-care. However, no relationship was found between social support
and diabetes self-care. Therefore, the presence of depressive symptoms did not
mediate the relationship between social support and diabetes self-care. Results from
this study underscore the importance of considering psychosocial factors such as
depressive symptoms, diabetes-related emotional distress, and the role of social
support in diabetes treatment