title: Gender differences in the psychological adjustment to type 1 diabetes mellitus: an explorative study.
abstract: This study examined gender differences in (1) the psychological adjustment to diabetes and (2) the relation between psychological adjustment and metabolic control in patients with type 1 diabetes. The 280 adult patients attending the outpatient diabetes clinic completed psychological self-rating questionnaires evaluating coping, depression, marital satisfaction, cognitive and emotional adjustment to diabetes. Glycaemic control was measured with HbA(1c)-values. This study revealed that men used significantly more active coping, less avoiding, less social support seeking and less depressive coping. Despite these differences, glycaemic control was not significantly better in men than in women. Women reported more depressive symptomatology than men did and more women were depressed. Significant gender differences were also found in psychological adjustment to diabetes. The psychological factors negatively related with the psychological adjustment to diabetes in men and women are depressive coping and depressive symptomatology.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University Hospitals Gasthuisberg, Herestraat 49, 3000, Leuven, Belgium. paul.enzlin@uz.kuleuven.ac.be
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Enzlin
authors.forename: Chantal
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mathieu
authors.forename: Koen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Demyttenaere
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012737:Sex Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
chemical_list: D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin