Determinants of quality of life of patients with uncomplicated diabetes mellitus attending endocrinology clinic, UNIOSUN Teaching Hospital, Osogbo, Osun State

Abstract

Introduction: Diabetes Mellitus (DM) is a chronic metabolic disorder that poses significant problems to individuals living with it. The emotional anguish and psychological impact of DM on patients' quality of life (QoL) contribute to poor prognosis of the condition. Therefore, the goal of this study is to examine how psychological experiences and satisfaction with diabetic care affect patients' QoL.Methods: A descriptive research survey conducted among one hundred and ten (110) diabetes patients attending the UNIOSUN Teaching Hospital's endocrinology clinic in Osun State, Nigeria between June and December, 2020. Modified Kessler psychological distress scale and World Health Organization Quality of Life Instrument (WHOQOL-BREF) were used to collect data. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics of frequencies, percentages and tables, while inferential statistics of chi-square was used to test the stated hypothesis at 0.05 level of significance.Results: The results showed that more than three-fourth of the patients had negative social 83(75.5%) and psychological 79 (71.8%) experiences with diabetic care, though majority 68(61.8%) demonstrated good quality of life. The result also showed a positive relationship between psychological experience and quality of life (x2=9.766; df=1; p-value=0.001) as well as social experiences and quality of life (x2=4.576; df=1; p-value=0.032). More so, socio-demographic characteristics of age, gender, marital status, level of education, occupation and income were significantly associated with quality of life of diabetes patients.Conclusion: Overall quality of life of diabetes patients was observed to be good, although majority of diabetes patient had negative social and psychological experiences. Therefore, efforts to improve diabetic care must be intensified in clinical settings to promote good health outcomes and prevent negative social and psychological impact of diabetes mellitus.