The Intermediary Role of Self-Efficacy in Relation with Stress, Glycosylated Haemoglobin and Health-Related Quality of Life in Patients with Type2 Diabetes

BACKGROUND: Stress is not always a direct result of stressful conditions, but rather the way they are perceived. Thus individual variables that may be associated with perceived stress should be examined in stress studies. This study investigates the intermediary role of self-efficacy in relation with stress, glycosylated haemoglobin and health-related quality of life in patients with type2 diabetes. METHODS: All women with diabetes in Yazd Diabetes Research Centre, in 2012, were considered and 80 women were selected by random sampling. They completed Shirer’s self-efficacy scale questionnaire, depression, anxiety and stress scale (DASS), and ADDQ0L19 questionnaire. Then they were introduced to the lab for blood test. Data were analysed by SPSS software and stepwise regression method. RESULTS: Pearson correlation test results showed that the hemoglobin A1c (r = 0.35) and Quality of Life (r = −0.22) are associated with stress (P <0.05). As so hemoglobin A1c (r = 0.83) and Quality of Life (r = 0.37) with variable of self efficacy are associated positively and significantly (P <0.05). Results of stepwise regression also showed that self efficacy and stress scales 0.697 of variance hemoglobin A1c and 0.140 of variance of Quality of life explaining to do. CONCLUSION: The impact of stress on blood sugar and patients’ health-related quality of life can be influenced by their self-efficacy; therefore it is suggested that an educational intervention is done to increase patients’ self-efficacy to better cope with stress in their life.