Evaluation of the stigma level related to chronic disease in diabetes and hypertension patients
Introduction and Aim: The two most common chronic diseases in primary care chronic disease follow-up are diabetes (DM) and hypertension (HT). The aim of this study is to evaluate the level of chronic disease stigma, perceived social support and depression in DM and HT patients, and to examine their effects on treatment regulation.
Materials and Methods: A single-center, descriptive study was conducted with randomly selected 50 DM and 50 HT patients who applied to a Family Health Center between September and December 2020. Patients with DM were divided into regulated and non-regulated groups according to HbA1c level, and HT patients according to target cytolic/diastolic arterial pressure.The level of stigmatization with the Expected Stigma Scale in Chronic Diseases (CIASS), psychological health status with the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 Scale (PHQ-9), and perceived social support status with the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) were questioned face-to-face. SPSS program was used in the analysis of the data.
Results: One hundred patients with a mean age of 56.4±11.4 years and a diagnosis period of 10.4±7.2 years were included in the study. Stigma levels of patients with unregulated DM (38.0%) and unregulated HT (14%) were compared. DM patients had higher total expected stigma score of chronic diseases (p=0.001), related to work life (p<0.001) and healthcare workers (p=0.007). In the linear regression analysis, it was determined that the current depression level of the patient is the determinant of the level of stigma in chronic diseases in both HT patients (F = 4.073, p=0.012, R² = 0.21) and DM patients (F = 3.154, p =0.012, R² = 0.30).
Discussion and conclusion: The level of chronic disease stigma was found to be higher in DM patients than in HT patients, and the rate of treatment regulation was lower. The role of depression level, expected stigma level from work environment and healthcare professionals were pointed out in the regulation of DM.
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