Advisory Committee Chair
Olivio J Clay
Advisory Committee Members
Michael G Crowe
Fernando Ovalle
Bulent Turan
Andrea Cherrington
Document Type
Dissertation
Date of Award
2014
Degree Name by School
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) College of Arts and Sciences
Abstract
Objectives: The authors investigated the relationships between race, cognitive function, life-space mobility, comorbidity, and depressive symptoms over time; as well as the relationships between race, cognitive function, life-space mobility, comorbidity, and diabetes distress over time. Methods: The sample included 224 community-dwelling older adults (age 65<) previously diagnosed with diabetes. The current study utilized data from telephone interviews at three different time points (baseline, 1 year follow up, and 2 year follow up). Results: A number of significant correlations were found. Potentially most importantly, results from the final model indicated that those participants who were lowest in self-efficacy were the most at-risk for experiencing diabetes distress and/or depressive symptoms. Conclusion: Findings suggest that interventions aimed at reducing diabetes distress and/or depressive symptoms within this population should focus on social support and disease specific self-management education as two cost-effective and easily manipulated avenues to achieving this goal.
Recommended Citation
Jones, Larita, "Examining Predictors of the Longitudinal Trajectories of Diabetes Distress and Depressive Symptoms in a Sample of Older Adults with Diabetes" (2014). All ETDs from UAB. 2066.
https://digitalcommons.library.uab.edu/etd-collection/2066