INTRODUCTION. The majority of authors agree that diabetes has a negative effect on cognitive functioning of patients with diabetes. It has been known for a long time that patients with diabetes are a group of people in whom the process of getting older reveals earlier and has a faster course. The objective of the paper is to evaluate relations between selected demographic variables (gender, age, education, place of residence) and the effectiveness of cognitive processes in patients with diabetes.
MATERIAL AND METHODS. Sixty-two patients, aged 18–55, were enrolled in the study: the patients with diagnosed type 1 diabetes (31 patients) and patients with diagnosed type 2 diabetes (31 patients). Psychological methods were used to evaluate cognitive functions.
RESULTS. Statistically significant dependencies were found between the effectiveness of cognitive processes and gender, age, place of residence and education.
CONCLUSIONS. The effectiveness of abstract thinking, psychomotor speed and efficiency, memory, learning, concentration and executive functions decrease with age of the patients. Lower level of education is associated with decreased level of abstract thinking, visual-motor coordination speed and efficiency, memory, executive functions, concentration, verbal fluency, effectiveness of learning processes. The patients who live in cities achieved better results in comparison with the patients who live in rural areas and smaller towns in terms of: abstract thinking, visual- motor coordination, concentration, memory, cognitive functions. Statistically significant differences were found in cognitive functioning of men and women participating in the study.