The double burden: Depression’s role in quality of life deterioration among Type 2 diabetes patients in Sri Lanka

Background: A person with Type-2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) has an increased risk of mental health issues, including depression. Identifying the relationship between these two variables can be effective and important in the Sri Lankan context.
Aims: This study aimed to determine the relationship between Quality of Life and Depression among patients with T2DM.
Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 123 participants (above 40 years) who have clinically diagnosed with T2DM. The Sociodemo-graphic Questionnaire, the World Health Organization Quality of Life Questionnaire, and the Epidemiological Studies Center Depression Scale were used for the data collection from two selected hospitals.
Results: The majority of participants were females (51.2%) and  78.8% were on Oral Hypoglycemic agents, 66.7%experienced diabetes-related complications, while perception on QoL (67.5%) and Health was mostly neutral (49.6%). The Depression levels were prevalent (13% severe and moderate 20.3%), and it revealed a significant negative correlation between depression and four domains of; physical health (r = -0.511, p=0.000), psychological (r = -0.501, p=0.004), social relationship (r = -0.487, p=0.000), and environment (r = -0.515, p=0.000), (p<0.05).
Conclusion: The study highlights the negative correlation between depression and quality of life in T2DM patients in Sri Lanka. It suggests that future research should include larger, more varied samples and focus on mental health care to improve patient outcomes. The findings can inform the development of specific interventions to enhance the physical, mental, and social well-being of patients with T2DM.