Comorbid diabetes and depression: The relationship between comorbidity and glycemic control
Open Access
Author:
Gilbert, Christopher Lawson
Area of Honors:
Health Policy and Administration
Degree:
Bachelor of Science
Document Type:
Thesis
Thesis Supervisors:
Dr. Jessica Mittler, Thesis Supervisor Dr. Rhonda Be Lue, Thesis Honors Advisor
Keywords:
diabetes depression glycemic control
Abstract:
This thesis will address the following research question: Do diabetics who are also diagnosed with depression have worse self-management of diabetes than diabetics who are not depressed? The hypothesis is that compared to non-depressed diabetics, persons who have diabetes and are also clinically depressed will be more likely to have uncontrolled diabetes (ADA, 2013).
The study uses data from the National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey (NHANES) collected in 2011 and 2012. Of the 5,740 people surveyed, an analytic sample of 608 adults had diabetes, and 98 also had clinical depression. Adults with diabetes and depression had an average HbA1c level of 7.84% mg/dL compared to 7.44% mg/dL for adults only with diabetes. The difference was not statistically significant, but given the small sample size, further study is warranted to determine whether diabetics also suffering from a major depressive disorder have worse self-management of their diabetes.
