Comparison of Anxiety and Depression of Type 2 Diabetes Patients with Healthy People During the Corona Epidemic

Background & aim: Diabetes is one of the five common chronic diseases all over the world, which can cause many complications if not treated and controlled. Mental health is an important factor against diseases that can even lead to improvement of physical health in people. The anxiety caused by the coronavirus has led to the fact that the mental health of people with underlying diseases such as diabetes is at risk, and their physical health is also affected by it. Considering the spread of the coronavirus epidemic, the purpose of the present study was to compare the anxiety and depression of patients with diabetes with average individuals during the spread of the coronavirus epidemic. Methods: The present descriptive-analytical and comparative causal study included 300 people (150 diabetic patients, 150 normal people) who were selected by purposive sampling. The data of the present study was collected electronically using a 9-question patient health questionnaire and a 7-question general anxiety questionnaire. The collected data were analyzed using Klomogrov-Smirnov, independent t, t-test and chi-square statistical tests. Results: In the present study, the average age of the participants was 27.48 years. Moreover, 191 female participants and 109 male participants, and the majority were university educated and married. The special findings of the study indicated that patients with diabetes experienced higher anxiety (t298=3.15, p