Relationship between the insulin use and stigma in type 2 diabetes mellitus

Abstract

Aims: This study aimed to investigate the relationship between insulin use and stigma in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM). Methods: The study was carried out in the endocrinology and metabolic disorders outpatient clinic of a state hospital between February and October 2022. The study was carried out with 154 patients, 77 of them were treated with insulin while 77 were treated with peroral antidiabetic drugs (PAD). The patient identification form and Type 2 Diabetes Stigma Assessment Scale (DSAS-2) were used for data collection. The data were analyzed by using IBM SPSS 26.0 software. Results: DSAS-2 total score, treated differently, blame and judgment, and self-stigma subscales were higher in insulin-treated T2DM patients compared to the patients treated with PAD. There was a positive relationship between the number of daily injections and the DSAS-2 total score (r = 0.554). Multiple linear regression showed that type of the treatment, treatment duration, number of daily injections and perceived level of health were the determinants of the DSAS-2 score. Conclusions: Stigma was high in insulin-treated T2DM patients and as the number of daily injections increased, the level of the perceived stigma increased. We recommend considering the high level of perceived stigma in insulin-treated T2DM patients while preparing nursing investigations