Subjective wellbeing among adults with diabetes: Results from Diabetes MILES – Australia — ASN Events
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Subjective wellbeing among adults with diabetes: Results from Diabetes MILES – Australia (#276)

Elizabeth Holmes-Truscott 1 2 , Jesscia L Browne 1 2 , Robert A Cummins 2 , Prasuna Reddy 3 , Frans Pouwer 4 , Jane Speight 1 2 5
  1. The Australian Centre for Behavioural Research in Diabetes, Diabetes Australia - Vic, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
  2. Centre for Mental Health and Wellbeing Research, School of Psychology, Deakin University, Burwood, VIC, Australia
  3. School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia
  4. Center of Research on Psychology in Somatic diseases, Tilburg University, Tilburg, The Netherlands
  5. AHP Research, Hornchurch, Essex, UK

Aims: Australian adults with diabetes report lower levels of subjective life quality (known as subjective wellbeing; SWB) than the general Australian population but the association between diabetes type and treatment regimens, and SWB has not been investigated. Our aim was to examine the potential impact of diabetes type and treatment on SWB and satisfaction with specific life domains using the Diabetes MILES – Australia dataset, and to compare this with Australian norms.
Methods: Diabetes MILES – Australia was a national survey (N=3,338) focused on behavioural and psychosocial aspects of diabetes. It included the Personal Wellbeing Index, which assesses SWB as the aggregate satisfaction with seven life domains. Data were provided by 1,315 adults with type 1 diabetes (T1DM; mean±SD age: 42±14 years; diabetes duration: 15±13 years; 60% women); 656 adults with insulin-treated type 2 diabetes (T2DM; age: 59±8 years; diabetes duration: 13±7 years; 45% women) and 1,152 non-insulin-treated T2DM (age: 58±9 years; diabetes duration: 7±6 years; 50% women). All SWB data are standardised to a 0-100 point scale.
Results: Compared with national norms, adults with diabetes reported lower overall SWB (75±12 versus 68±18, p<0.001) and lower satisfaction across all domains, reporting least satisfaction with their health. Overall SWB was comparable between T1DM and non-insulin-treated T2DM (70±16 versus 69±18, ns). However, the SWB of people with insulin-treated T2DM (64±19) was lower than both other groups (both p<0.001).
Conclusions: Adults with diabetes display lower levels of SWB than the general population, consistent across all life domains. Adults with insulin-treated T2DM are least satisfied with life compared with T1DM or non-insulin-treated T2DM. This difference in overall SWB may result from more negative affect regarding their health due to treatment escalation and deteriorating physical condition. Future research should investigate what mitigates the impact of diabetes on SWB over time, in particular for those with insulin-treated T2DM.