Correlation between symptoms of depression, attitude, and self-care in elderly with type 2 diabetes.
Maria Cristina Lins Oliveira Frazão, Lia Raquel de Carvalho Viana, Gerlania Rodrigues Salviano Ferreira and 5 others
PMID 37436236WHAT IT FOUND
Elderly patients with type 2 diabetes reported high adherence to medication but poor foot care and blood sugar monitoring.
More depressive symptoms were linked to less physical activity and foot care. Negative attitudes were also linked to poorer foot care.
Key findings
01Self-care adherence was high for medication but low for blood sugar monitoring and specific physical activities.
02Higher depressive symptoms were significantly correlated with lower self-care in physical activity and foot care.
03Negative attitudes towards the disease were significantly correlated with poorer foot care.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The cross-sectional design cannot prove that depression or negative attitudes cause poor self-care; it only shows they occur together. The sample was drawn from Family Health Units in one Brazilian municipality, which may limit generalizability to other populations or healthcare systems. Self-care data relies on patient self-report, which may be subject to recall bias or social desirability bias.
Declared interests
The paper does not report specific funding sources or conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that treating depression will automatically improve self-care behaviors. This study shows a correlation, not a cause-and-effect relationship, and does not test an intervention.