Survey of stressful life events among diabetic and non-diabetic elderly individuals in Rafsanjan, Iran, in 2015

Background: Due to the increasing number of stressful life events among the elderly and the rapid spread of diabetes among them, the present study compared the stressful life events of diabetic elderly with those of non-diabetic elderly. Materials and Methods: This descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted on 240 senior citizens of over 60 years of age (120 diabetic patients and 120 non-diabetics) of Rafsanjan, Iran. They were chosen through convenience sampling from among visitors of the Diabetes Clinic and Ali Ebne Abitaleb Laboratory in Rafsanjan. The data collection tool used was the questionnaire designed by Pickel et al. This questionnaire consists of two parts; one part is related to demographic information and the other to stressful life events. To analyze the data, Mann-Whitney test, chi-squared, Fisher’s exact test, and independent t-test were employed in SPSS software. Results: The frequency of psychological stresses caused by familial, personal, and environmental factors was higher among the diabetic elderly (P < 0.05). In addition, the frequency of psychological stresses caused by social stressful factors was higher among the non-diabetic elderly. The number of occupational-financial and environmental stressful factors was more among male diabetic patients, and the number of personal stressful factors was more among female patients (P < 0.05). The number of occupational-financial stressful factors was significantly higher among non-diabetic men than women (P < 0.05). Conclusions: According to the results, stressful factors play a major role in the onset of diabetes. By recognizing the sources of stress with the assistance of patients, and their family and medical team, effective steps can be taken to prevent and control its probable effects and side effects.