What Affects Quality of Life for People with Type 1 Diabetes?: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study

Abstract

This study investigated the association between the quality of life (QOL) and type 1 diabetes mellitus (DM), a lifelong disease that requires constant management. A complex set of factors influence the QOL of people with type 1 DM, and understanding these factors requires further research. This research is a cross-sectional descriptive study. A survey on related variables such as acceptance of disease and efficacy for self-management of diabetes, was conducted among 111 participants with type 1 DM. The collected data were analyzed using PASW Statistics program, and factors influencing participants’ QOL were identified through hierarchical multiple regression. The study followed the Guidelines of Systematic Reporting of Examination in the STROBE checklist. The results showed that four variables exerted a significant effect on QOL (blood glucose level at hypoglycemia and complications in Model 1; efficacy for self-management of diabetes and acceptance and action in Model 2), and all the variables explained a majority of the variance in QOL. The results indicate that management of severe hypoglycemia and prevention of complications is crucial. Interventions should be developed to enhance coping abilities to improve efficacy for self-management for those with diabetes and promote their acceptance of the disease.