Work

Medical alliances and diabetes-related distress in China: role of self-efficacy as a partial mediator

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: The prevalence of diabetes-related distress is high among diabetes mellitus patients, causing physical, psychological and economic burdens. China's general medical alliances and compact general alliances provide treatment for patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). This study aims to analyse the influence of medical alliances on diabetes-related distress and verified the mediating role of self-efficacy among T2DM patients. METHODS: From one general and one compact medical alliance, data on 2156 T2DM adults >45 y of age were investigated through a questionnaire survey conducted in China. Diabetes-related distress, medical alliance data, self-efficacy information and control variables were collected. Hierarchical linear regression mediation analysis was used to analyse the influence of compact medical alliances and general medical alliances on diabetes-related distress and to verify self-efficacy as a mediator between medical alliances and diabetes-related distress. RESULTS: Most patients (94.57%) with T2DM were suffering from diabetes-related distress, with an average score of diabetes-related distress (11.77±7.65). The respondents from compact medical alliances had lower diabetes-related distress (11.08±8.64) than from general medical alliances (12.38±6.61). Self-efficacy mediated the association between the type of medical alliance and diabetes-related distress (p<0.05). Higher income, lower health expenditure, lower education level, less sleep time, low physical exercise and low diabetes cognition were significant risk factors of diabetes-related distress (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Compact medical alliances reduced diabetic patients' diabetes-related distress significantly more than general medical alliances. Self-efficacy was a mediator between medical alliances and diabetes-related distress. Accelerating the transformation of the compact medical alliances can decrease diabetes-related distress and provide an integrated program of education, diabetes cognition and optimal sleep and exercise regimens to reduce diabetes-related distress.

Source: International Health

DOI: 10.1093/inthealth/ihaf040

Authors: Chenyu Zhou, Elizabeth Maitland, Stephen Nicholas, Xiaoyu Tian, Rugang Liu

Institutions: Nanjing Medical University, University of Liverpool, University of Newcastle Australia

Language: English

Topic: Diabetes Management and Education

Subfield: Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,908