The Effect of Sociodemographic Characteristics on Disease Acceptance in Individuals with Type 2 Diabetes

Background: Type 2 diabetes is a chronic metabolic disorder that requires long-term lifestyle changes and continuous self-management. The degree to which individuals accept their illness plays a pivotal role in psychological adaptation, treatment compliance, and disease outcomes.

Aim: This study aimed to investigate the effect of sociodemographic characteristics on the level of disease acceptance in individuals diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.

Methods: This descriptive study was conducted with 282 patients with type 2 diabetes receiving treatment in the internal medicine department of a district state hospital between January 5, 2024 and February 15, 2024. Personal information forms and the Illness Acceptance Scale were used by the researchers for data collection. Data were analyzed using the independent samples t-test, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), and the Mann-Whitney U and Kruskal-Wallis tests.

Results: The distribution of personal characteristics among type 2 diabetes patients who participated in the study showed a mean age of 58.93±12.40; 62.4% were female, 87.9% were married, 52.4% were primary school graduates, 68.7% were not working, 46% were housewives, and 36.1% had a diagnosis duration ranging from 5 to 10 years. The relationship between the level of disease acceptance and age (p=0.000), gender (p=0.036), educational status (p=0.032), marital status (p=0.003), employment status (p=0.000), occupation (p=0.000), duration of diagnosis (p=0.000), and having another disease (p=0.000) was found to be statistically significant.

Conclusion: It was found that the perceived level of disease acceptance among individuals is influenced by variables such as age, gender, marital status, educational status, employment status, occupation, and duration of diagnosis. These factors should be considered when designing individualized care plans and psychosocial support interventions.