Stigma in People With Type 1 or Type 2 Diabetes

This study quantitatively measures diabetes stigma and its associated psychosocial impact in a large population of U.S. patients with type 1 or type 2 diabetes using an online survey sent to 12,000 people with diabetes. A majority of respondents with type 1 (76%) or type 2 (52%) diabetes reported th...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Clinical diabetes 2017-01, Vol.35 (1), p.27-34
Main Authors: Liu, Nancy F, Brown, Adam S, Folias, Alexandra E, Younge, Michael F, Guzman, Susan J, Close, Kelly L, Wood, Richard
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Diabetes
Drug therapy
Insulin
Polls & surveys
Quantitative psychology
Social psychology
Stigma
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Summary:This study quantitatively measures diabetes stigma and its associated psychosocial impact in a large population of U.S. patients with type 1 or type 2 diabetes using an online survey sent to 12,000 people with diabetes. A majority of respondents with type 1 (76%) or type 2 (52%) diabetes reported that diabetes comes with stigma. Perceptions of stigma were significantly higher among respondents with type 1 diabetes than among those with type 2 diabetes, with the highest rate in parents of children with type 1 diabetes (83%) and the lowest rate in people with type 2 diabetes who did not use insulin (49%). Our results suggest that a disturbingly high percentage of people with diabetes experience stigma, particularly those with type 1 or type 2 diabetes who are on intensive insulin therapy. The experience of stigma disproportionately affects those with a higher BMI, higher A1C, and poorer self-reported blood glucose control, suggesting that those who need the most help are also the most affected by stigma.
ISSN:0891-8929
1945-4953
DOI:10.2337/cd16-0020