Body self-esteem is related to subjective well-being, severity of depressive symptoms, BMI, glycated hemoglobin levels, and diabetes-related distress in type 2 diabetes

Abstract

Background There are limited data on the role of body image in patients with type 2 diabetes. The purpose of this study was to compare body self-esteem in this group with norms for the general Polish population and to investigate the relationship between body self-esteem and the psychological and clinical characteristics of the course of diabetes. Methods A group of 100 consecutive adult patients with type 2 diabetes (49 women and 51 men) aged 35 to 66 years were assessed using the Body Esteem Scale (BES), World Health Organization-Five Well-Being Index (WHO-5), Problem Areas in Diabetes Scale (PAID), and Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D). Results In comparison to norms for the general population, women with type 2 diabetes had lower body self-esteem only in the dimension of Physical Condition (M = 30.71; SD = 7.11 versus M = 32.96; SD = 5.69; P = 0.003), whereas men in the dimensions of Physical Condition (M = 42.43; SD = 9.43 versus M = 48.30; SD = 8.42; P <0.001) and Upper Body Strength (M = 32.16; SD = 6.60 versus M = 33.97; SD = 5.86; P = 0.015). There were moderate or weak positive correlations between the overall BES score and/or its dimensions and subjective well-being, and negative correlations between the overall BES score and/or its dimension and the severity of depression symptoms, level of glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), body mass index (BMI), and diabetes-related distress among women. Among men, BES scores were positively correlated with well-being, and negatively, with BMI and diabetes-related distress. A correlation of r = 0.39 between BES scores and HbA1c levels was relatively high compared with values for other psychosocial factors. Both in women and men, a high Physical Condition score was a significant predictor of better well-being, less severe depression, and milder diabetes-related distress. Among men, it was also a significant predictor of lower BMI, whereas among women, BMI was predicted by Weight Concern. Conclusions Persons with diabetes seem to have lower body self-esteem than the general population, which is significantly associated with clinical and psychological characteristics of the diabetes course. The observed differences and relationships are gender-specific.

Social exclusion in people with diabetes: cross-sectional and longitudinal results from the German Ageing Survey (DEAS)

“…We found that the strongest effect between diabetes and social exclusion was evident for self-esteem. In line with an earlier study 26 , people with diabetes reported lower self-esteem than people without diabetes. Self-esteem is the degree to which people have a favorable or unfavorable opinion of themselves and is significantly related to both mental and physical health 51 .…”

“…Self-esteem is the degree to which people have a favorable or unfavorable opinion of themselves and is significantly related to both mental and physical health 51 . It is considered an important psychological factor, even influencing glucose level and eventually the course of diabetes via psycho-neuroendocrine mechanisms or through stress-related unhealthy behavior 26 . This strong effect of self-esteem ties in with the results by Kato et al 2020 23 and Browne et al (2013) 52 on stigma, which report the perception of being responsible for having diabetes and considering the diagnosis a personal failure as the most prevalent aspects of stigma in diabetes.…”

“…Living with diabetes can be associated with stigma, which impairs quality of life and increases diabetes-specific distress and complications due to lack of self-care 10 , 22 – 25 . This stigmatization can come both from other people as well as from patients themselves 10 , and people with diabetes may generally show reduced self-esteem 26 . Previous studies have also shown a link between diabetes and loneliness 27 , 28 , with a 20-year follow up study from Sweden confirming that loneliness increases the risk for developing type 2 diabetes.…”

Analysis of current situation and influencing factors of marital adjustment in patients with Crohn’s disease and their spouses

“…Shuyue compiled the Couple Support Questionnaire by Shuyue [ 18 ] in 2008 to measure spousal support obtained in marriage relationships. The scale is divided into 2 dimensions, subjective and objective, with a total of 18 items.…”

The Effect of Self-Stigma on Self-Esteem and Treatment Compliance in Individuals with Type-2 Diabetes: An Example in the Southeast of Türkiye

“…In diabetesrelated stigma, the impact of self-stigma is intertwined with social influences (Liu et al, 2017). Thus, Consequently, individuals with diabetes may be inclined to conceal their condition, fearing societal stigmatization (Kokoszka et al, 2022;Puhl et al, 2020). This situation negatively affects the physical health of the individual as well as the psychological effects (Cho et al, 2022;Harper et al, 2018;.…”