Endocrine Abstracts

JOINT3911

Introduction: Stress is often a part of every individual’s life. Living with a chronic illness such as type 1 diabetes adds an additional layer of stress and negative burden.

Objective: To assess the level of stress in a population of patients with type 1 diabetes.

Materials and methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study using the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) questionnaire, which evaluates the level of stress based on feelings and thoughts over the past month. The PSS comprises 10 items, with a total score calculated out of 40.

Results: Our study included 71 patients with an average age of 25.42 ± 8 years and a sex ratio of 1.09. The average duration of diabetes was 8.59 ± 6.8 years, and the mean HbA1c level was 11.07 ± 4%. In our population, 60% of the participants were considered to have a high level of stress, while 40% were deemed to have a moderately high level of stress. None of the patients were categorized as having a low level of stress. The average stress level in the population was 24, identified as a moderate overall level. Among the patients, 50% reported feeling irritated quite often due to events beyond their control, and 38% felt upset by an unexpected event. Only 4 patients expressed confidence in their ability to manage personal problems, and only 6 believed that things were going their way.

Conclusion: Thus, more than half of the studied population suffers from high stress levels, representing an additional burden with implications for both disease management and the overall health of individuals.