Relationship between sociodemographic factors and depression symptoms and level of diabetes acceptance

Introduction: Diabetes is a disease whose course is strongly determined by self-monitoring and self-care. Ensuring metabolic control of diabetes is not only important for the current state of health, it also allows to maintain the body in the best condition despite the existing chronic disease. Purpose: To assess the relationship between sociodemographic factors and depression symptoms and the level of disease acceptance in diabetes. Materials and methods: The study used a diagnostic survey method with a questionnaire, the Beck Depression Inventory, and the Acceptance of Illness Scale. The study group consisted of 43 women (51%) and 41 men (49%). A total of 67% of respondents had diagnosed type 2 diabetes, 24% type 1 diabetes, and 6% LADA. Average disease duration was 15 years. Results: In the studied group, 15% of patients had diagnosed symptoms of depression; while according to the Beck Depression Inventory, depressive episodes occurred more often in mild (30%) and moderate (23%) severity. They were observed more often in people over 50 years old. Depression symptoms were significantly more common in the group of overweight and obese people (p=0.022, r(X,Y)=0.2490). Conclusions: The problem of depression increases with disease duration. People diagnosed with type 2 diabetes have lower levels of disease acceptance. Disease acceptance is a factor that eliminates the occurrence of depressive disorders of varying severity.