Diabetes-Related Distress Among People with Type 2 Diabetes in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam: Prevalence and Associated Factors

BACKGROUND: Diabetes-related distress (DRD) refers to the condition of negative emotion as a result of living with diabetes and the burden of self-care. This study aims to evaluate the prevalence and associated factors of DRD among people with type 2 diabetes. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried out on people with Type 2 Diabetes at three hospitals in Ho Chi Minh City, between April and November 2020. The study used the Vietnamese version of the Diabetes Distress Scale (DDS) which includes 17 items. The mean total distress score was calculated on the average of the 17 items. A mean score of equal to 2.0 or higher was classified as moderate to severe distress. Descriptive statistics were performed by frequency and percentage, and the multivariate Logistic Regression Analysis was used to assess information where p-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: A total of 517 participants, who were mainly over 60 years old (56.8%) with females being 65.0%, participated in the study. Results showed that 23.6% and 5.8% of them, respectively, were found as being moderately or highly distressed. Some factors that correlated with the total distress results included age, timescale of diabetes, and glycemic control level (HbA1c). The rate of total distress in those who were over 60 years old and had a HbA1c <7 were less prevalent than those who were under 60, and had a HbA1c ≥7 (OR 0.5 95% CI 0.3–0.7; OR 0.5 95% CI: 0.3–0.9, respectively, all p<0.05), whilst the timescale of diabetes between 5 and 10 years was significantly more prevalent than those who had a timescale less 5 years (OR 1.8 95% CI 1.1–2.9, p<0.05). CONCLUSION: A high rate of distress exists in people with diabetes. Therefore, combining the evaluation of distress as part of the regular diagnostic procedures of diabetes care, and recommending physicians apply a comprehensive approach to diabetes management, is necessary.