Analysis of the Relation between the Perception and Attitudes of Illness and Gender in Patients Diagnosed with Diabetes: The Example of Turkey

• Published in: International journal of caring sciences Vol. 10; no. 1; p. 260
• Main Authors: Keni, Kader, Avdal, Elif Unsal, Yilmaz, Husnu, Uran, Berna Nilgun Ozgursoy
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Nicosia Professor Despina Sapountzi - Krepia Publisher of the International Journal of Caring Sciences 01.01.2017
• Subjects: Attitudes; Behavior; College professors; Data collection; Diabetes; Health sciences; Hospitals; Illnesses; Mens health; Nursing; Patient compliance; Patients; Perceptions; Questionnaires; Studies; Turkey
• ISSN: 1791-5201; 1792-037X

This study was made as a definitive and correlational study in order to analyse the relation between the attitudes and perception of illness and sex in the patients diagnosed for diabetes. Fiftysix diabetic individuals tracked in a Training and Research Hospital in the province of Izmir in Turkey make the sample of the research. "Diabetic Individual Identification Forms", "Diabetes Attitude Scale" and "The Illness Perception Questionnaire" were used as data collection tools. Number percentage analysis, Mann-Whitney U test, single direction variance analysis and Spearman correlation analysis were used in the statistical evaluation of the research data. In consequence of the analyses made, no meaningful relation was determined between sex and the diabetes attitude scale and the illness perception questionnaire (p>0,05) (r = 0.25, p=0.06). In the study, it was found that the symptoms of the diseases was seen more in diabetic women (x:6.47 ± 2.35). As for the diabetic men, it was found that they had the symptom of fatigue most (88.5 %) and they believed that they had more personal control on the disease (x:4.59 ± 0.65). Moreover, in this study, it was determined that female patients associated their illness with the dimension of "accident and luck" more than men and the female patients' attitude of diabetes was positive (r: -1.260 p: 0.21). All health professionals are recommended to make the individuals perceive their illness in their training and plan their self management training regardless of the patients' sex.