Diabetes Distress and Associated Factors among Low-Income Chinese Immigrants with Type 2 Diabetes

Purpose: To describe diabetes distress and its associated factors among Chinese immigrants with type 2 diabetes (T2D) in NYC. Methods: Cross-sectional data were derived from three research studies conducted among Chinese immigrants with T2D in NYC. Diabetes Distress Scale (DDS) was used to measure diabetes distress, which includes 4 subscales: emotional, regimen, interpersonal and physician-related distress. A total or subscale score ≥ 2 indicates a moderate or higher distress level and is considered clinically important. Patient Health Questionnaire-2 was used to measure depressive symptoms. Participants’ sociodemographic data were collected. Descriptive statistics and stepwise logistic regression were used. Results: Most participants (n=178) were currently married (76%), limited English proficient (93%), high school graduates or less (66%), and had an annual household income of less than $25K (62%). The mean age was 63.6 (SD=13.6) years old. About 26% of them reported moderate or higher overall distress levels. The most common sources of distress were emotional burden (30%), followed by regimen (29%), interpersonal (19%), and physician-related distress (14%). Participants who were younger, female, and had elevated depressive symptoms were more likely to have higher diabetes distress. Conclusions: Diabetes distress is prevalent in Chinese immigrants with T2D, especially emotional distress and regimen-related distress. Given the known negative impact of diabetes distress, it is critical to consider screening for diabetes distress and incorporating psychological counseling in diabetes care in this underserved population. Disclosure L.Hu: None. Y.Shi: None. C.Wang: None. H.Li: None. H.Bao: None. X.Xu: None. Y.Jiang: None. M.Sevick: None. N.Islam: None. Funding National Institutes of Health (R00MD012811, P30DK111022, U54MD000538-15)