Psychological distress and mental disorders among Spanish diabetic adults: A case-control study

Aim: To compare the prevalence of psychological distress and mental disorders between diabetes and non-diabetes sufferers and to identify associated factors. Methods: Case-control study based on data from the 2006 to 2007 Spanish National Health Survey. We identified 2193 type 2 diabetic adults. Non-diabetic controls were 1:1 matched by age-and-sex. The presence of a mental disorder was considered if subjects answered yes to the questions: "Have you suffered depression and/or anxiety over the previous 12 months? AND "Has your medical doctor confirmed the diagnosis?". The 12-item General Health Questionnaire was used to measure psychological distress. Independent covariables included socio-demographics and heath related variables. Results: Prevalence of mental disorders was 18.6% among diabetics and 16.4% among controls (adjusted OR 1.17 CI 95% 1.01-1.38). 26% of diabetes and 18.9% of the non-diabetic suffered psychological distress (adjusted OR 1.51 CI 95% 1.25-1.83). Among diabetics variables associated with suffering a mental disorder and psychological distress were: female sex, younger age, worse self rated health, comorbidity, GP visit in the last 4 weeks and ER attendance in last year. Conclusions: Diabetic adults have significantly higher prevalence of diagnosed mental disorders and psychological distress than non-diabetic subjects. Programs targeted at preventing, monitoring and controlling these mental health problems at primary care should be implemented. (C) 2011 Primary Care Diabetes Europe. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.