The effect of perceived social support on acceptance of illness in type 2 diabetes: A cross-sectional study

Authors : Nurten Terkeş, Çiğdem Ökten, Dilek Vicdan

Pages : 4-9

View : 40 | Download : 51

Publication Date : 2025-04-17

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :Objective: This study aims to examine the effect of perceived social support on acceptance of illness levels in individuals with type-2 diabetes. Methods: This study was conducted descriptively with 262 type-2 diabetes patients treated in the internal diseases unit of a district public hospital between November 10, 2021 and March 1, 2022. As data collection tools, Personal Information Form created by the researchers, Acceptance of Illness Scale, and Multidimensional Perceived Social Support Scale were used. Results: The relationship between the participants’ acceptance of illness and social support levels and age (P<.001), gender (P=.002), educational status (P<.001), and diagnosis period (P<.001) was found statistically significant, while no significant difference was found between marital status, profession, presence/absence of concurrent disease, mode of treatment, and fasting blood glucose. A positive relationship was also demonstrated in our study results between Multidimensional Perceived Social Support Scale and Acceptance of Illness Scale mean scores. Conclusion: Consequently, it was found that the perceived social support and acceptance of illness level of the individuals were affected by variables such as age, gender, educational status, profession, and diagnosis period. It was also observed that the perceived social support was associated with the acceptance of illness. It is recommended that appropriate social services are planned and implemented for improving social support.
Keywords : Nursing, Type-2 Diabetes, Social Support, Acceptance of Illness, Education.