Multidimensional assessment of quality of life and locus of control in elderly patients with type 2 diabetes: role of gender

Abstract

Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) in elderly patients is challenging and it may have a strong impact on patients’ quality of life. In this study we evaluated whether personal, clinical, or gender-related variables may influenceDiabetes Specific Quality of Life(DSQoL) and locus of control (LOC) scores in a group of 100 elderly T2D outpatients (60% men, 40% women; mean age 72 years) on oral hypoglycaemic drugs and in good metabolic control (mean HbA1c 6.7%). Overall, women showed a greater cognitive impairment and a lower autonomy in daily lifeas compared to men. Mean DSQoL scores indicated a good quality of life, with a lower level of satisfaction in women (P=0.009).As for LOC, there was a high prevalence of the internal domain, indicating that these subjects had a good awareness of their own role in diabetes’s management. Women reached lower scores in the LOC external domain, suggesting that external factors were perceived as less important determinants of diabetes’ control in elderly women as compared to men (P=0.048). After stratifying all study variables according to QoL and LOC domains, only diabetes duration and hypoglycemic episodes were significantly associated with QoL, whereas only gender and the number of outpatient visits during the previous two years were associated with LOC domains. In conclusion, in elderly T2D patients QoL and LOC scores are clearly influenced by a number of clinical factors, including gender.