Abstract
Background: Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, concerns about
health-related and economic hazards of the virus, the restrictions
imposed by the public health measures, the lack of social interactions,
and the financial losses have affected people’s mental health in various
ways. People with diabetes are more vulnerable to comorbid mental
illness that may interfere with treatment adherence and disease
prognosis. This study explores the psychological state of Egyptian
patients suffering from diabetes mellitus (DM) during the COVID-19
pandemic. Methods: Egyptian adults with DM were invited to participate
through an online survey in the period from April 24 to May 12. The
survey included sociodemographic information, questions assessing
diabetes status, and general assessment of the psychological health
status using the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12). Results: In
total, 849 participants shared in the survey. 51.4% of the studied
population were at risk, while 21.2% were at high risk of psychological
distress. There was a statistically significant difference with the
non-working group with a mean GHQ-12 score of 17.44, SD= 6.267, SE
0.491, 95% (16.47-18.41), and p-value of 0.01. Regarding the disease
precautions, there was a statistically significant difference between
home isolation and those who did not home isolate with a mean 16.23 and
SD 6.285 compared to a mean 15.32 SD 5.701 p-value 0.028. There was a
significantly increased number of 4 or more diabetes complications and
comorbidities with a mean 20.60 SD 8.675, SE 2.240, (95% CI
15.80-25.40) with a p-value of less than 0.001 and mainly with
hypertension as comorbidity. Conclusion: The current study shows that
Egyptian patients suffering from DM are likely to psychological distress
amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Risk factors included female gender,
non-working, and patients with diabetic complications, particularly
hypertension. Further attention to the psychological needs of Egyptian
patients with DM amid the COVID-19 is recommended.