INTRODUCTION. Low adherence to treatment observed among persons with diabetes increases the risk of complications. It depends on psychological factors. The frequency of depressive and anxiety symptoms occurrence is higher in this group of patients than in general population. Data about differences in psychological characteristics of patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes remains still incomplete. It justifies the investigation of the common and specific relations between type 1 and type 2 diabetes and psychological factors, including: coping, depressive and anxiety symptoms as well as locus of control.
MATERIAL AND METHODS. 57 persons suffering from diabetes for at least 5 years; 30 with type 1 and 27 with type 2, completed Multidimensional Health Locus of Control Scale (MHLC), Introversion–Extraversion (I–E) Scale, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and Brief Method of Coping with Disease Assessment. HbA_1c was assessed by NycoCard Reader 2.
RESULTS. In the group of patients with diabetes type 2 there were found significantly higher, than in diabetes type 1: emotion oriented coping style (M = 0.4; SD = 0.814 vs. M = 0.93; SD = 0.958; p = 0.029), avoidance oriented coping style (M = 0.63; SD = 0.809 vs. M = 1.22; SD = 0.892; p = 0.011); level of depression (M = 4.13; SD = 2.662 vs. M = 5.63; SD = 2.911; p = 0.047), attribution of the health control to a chance (M = 19.03; SD = 6.672 vs. M = = 24.26; p = 0.004) and also lower “task-oriented coping style” (M = 1.8; SD = 1.095 vs. M = 1.07; SD = 0.829; p = 0.007). There were also found significant relations among the best solution-oriented coping style, emotion oriented style and the level of anxiety (respectively r = –0.373; r = 0.37) and level of depression (respectively r = –0.352; r = 0.476); solution-oriented coping style, emotion-oriented coping style, level of anxiety and with the attribution of the health control to a chance (respectively. r = –0.341; r = 0.271; r = 0.301); level of depression and locus of control (r = –0,322), i.e.: higher level of depression is correlated with more external locus of control; attribution of the health control to a chance and the older age (r = 0.407).
CONCLUSIONS. Persons with type 2 diabetes attribute more influence of a “chance” on their medical conditions, have higher level of depressive and anxiety symptoms than persons with type 1 diabetes, eventually they also need more psychological support.