Triggering factors for the occurrence of social limitations and their consequences on the mental health of patients living with diabetes

Abstract

Introduction: Diabetes Mellitus is characterized by being a syndrome of multiple etiologies, which occurs due to the lack of insulin or the body's resistance to it, being related to various complications that require the patient to adapt their lifestyle and that can generate psychological suffering. Objective: Identify the main triggering factors for the occurrence of social limitations and their consequences on the mental health of patients living with diabetes. Method: This study is configured as an integrative review of the literature. The inclusion criteria were full articles, published from 2015 to 2020, in English, Portuguese and Spanish. Editorial documents, reviews, book chapters and articles that did not meet the proposed objective were excluded. The compilation of studies was carried out from October and November 2020 in the databases: Medline (PubMed®), CINAHL and EMBASE. In addition, controlled descriptors identified in the Descriptors in Health Sciences (DECs), MESH and EMBASE Emtree were used, which resulted in 2,063 studies identified, submitted for selection, remaining 718, and 12 after the eligibility process, resulting in 9 studies in the final sample. Results: The final sample resulted in the creation of thematic axes that bring an increase in psychological suffering in people with diabetes caused by changes in their lifestyle, lack of family and social support, physical inactivity, impact of gender and culture, and the increase in symptoms of complications and functional impairment, triggering the occurrence of social limitations. Conclusion: Diabetes and its treatment generate social limitations in the lives of patients, due to the need for changes in their lifestyle that require a lot of dedication and time, such factors are considered predictors to increase the risks of psychological suffering in these patients.