Abstract

AIMS: The aim of this study was to determine the correlation between illness perception and QoL in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) patients.

MATERIAL & METHODS: We used cross-sectional design. The subjects were recruited from the Pringsewu Government Hospital in Lampung, Indonesia, and underwent T2DM treatment from May-July 2016. The subjects have met the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The inclusion criteria were patients age 15-65 with a diagnosis of T2DM with complications for more than 3 months prior and who consented to participate in the study. Participants used the self-reported questionnaire BIPQ (Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire) to measure illness perception and the SF-36 (Short Form-36) questionnaire to measure QoL. Statistical analysis used in this study were Pearson correlation and multivariate linear regression to test between illness perception and quality of life (QoL) domains. The correlation between variable were statistically significant if p value < 0.05.

RESULTS: The domain of treatment management had the highest score among all BIPQ domains (mean: 8.55; SD: 1.99). Emotional well-being had the highest scores among the SF-36 domains (mean: 72.69; SD: 17.33). The energy domain in QoL was significantly predicted by consequence, personal management, and identity in the BIPQ illness perception components (p <0.0001). Moreover, the role limitation component was significantly predicted by emotional response, coherence and random blood glucose levels (p <0.0001).

CONCLUSIONS: This study significantly showed weak positive correlations between illness perception and QoL in T2DM patients. An education strategy aimed at changing these negative emotional responses to improve patients’ role limitations due to emotional function should be considered.

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