Emotional distress in elderly people with type 2 diabetes mellitus attending primary healthcare centres

Abstract

Aim: To analyse the emotional distress in elderly people with type 2 diabetes mellitus who attend primary healthcare centres in the city of Ribeirão Preto, state of São Paulo, Brazil. Methods: This is a cross-sectional, descriptive, populational, home-survey study. The Brazilian version of the questionnaire called Problems Areas in Diabetes was used to assess the level of emotional distress. Results: A total of 338 low-income people older than 60 years old participated in the study, in which 66.3% were women and 51.5% were aged between 60 and 69 years, all with low schooling level. The mean score of emotional distress was 20.2 ranging from 0 to 74. The high level of emotional distress was found to be associated with self-perception of health, age of diagnosis, number of diseases associated with diabetes, use of insulin associated or not with oral anti-diabetic drugs, self-efficacy, and renal dysfunctions (p < 0.05). The main problem reported by the participants was their concern with the future and likelihood of severe complications (35.2%). Conclusion: This study was able to assess some aspects of emotional distress amongst diabetic elderly people. The evidence from this research enables the strategic planning of actions at the geriatric population attending the primary healthcare centres to ensure quality of life during ageing.

Keywords

• Primary Health Care
• Diabetes mellitus
• Comprehensive Health Care
• Aged
• Mental Health