Relationship between illness perception and self-management behaviors among women with gestational diabetes mellitus in China during the COVID-19 pandemic: A mediating role of depression
Ran An
School of Nursing, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
Zhengzhou Health Vocational College, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
Search for more papers by this authorXiaoli Chen
Center for Women's and Children's Health Research, Wuhan University School of Nursing, Wuhan, China
Research Center for Lifespan Health, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Zhijie Zou
Center for Women's and Children's Health Research, Wuhan University School of Nursing, Wuhan, China
Research Center for Lifespan Health, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
Correspondence
Zhijie Zou, Center for Women's and Children's Health Research, Wuhan University School of Nursing; Research Center for Lifespan Health, Wuhan University, 115 Donghu Road, Wuhan 430071, China.
Email: [email protected]
Search for more papers by this authorYingzi Zhang
Magnet Program & Research Department, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, USA
Search for more papers by this authorRan An
School of Nursing, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
Zhengzhou Health Vocational College, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
Search for more papers by this authorXiaoli Chen
Center for Women's and Children's Health Research, Wuhan University School of Nursing, Wuhan, China
Research Center for Lifespan Health, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Zhijie Zou
Center for Women's and Children's Health Research, Wuhan University School of Nursing, Wuhan, China
Research Center for Lifespan Health, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
Correspondence
Zhijie Zou, Center for Women's and Children's Health Research, Wuhan University School of Nursing; Research Center for Lifespan Health, Wuhan University, 115 Donghu Road, Wuhan 430071, China.
Email: [email protected]
Search for more papers by this authorYingzi Zhang
Magnet Program & Research Department, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, USA
Search for more papers by this authorJiarun Wang and Luyang Zhu contributed equally to this study.
Abstract
Objective
Describe the current status of illness perception, depression, and self-management behaviors among women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) during the COVID-19 pandemic, and explore the role of depression in the relationship between illness perception and self-management behaviors among women with GDM.
Methods
Pregnant women diagnosed with GDM were recruited at the obstetrics clinic of a Grade-A tertiary hospital in Wuhan, through convenience sampling. Self-reported questionnaires including basic information, illness perception, depression, and self-management behaviors were used to collect data from April 2021 to February 2022. Mediation analysis was performed by SPSS Process macro.
Results
Among GDM pregnant women, the mean self-management behaviors score was 73.89 (SD = 12.21), the mean illness perception score was 31.80 (SD = 8.77), and 44.3% had depression scores of 10 or higher. The indirect effect of illness perception on self-management behaviors mediated by depression was significant (path a * b, β = −0.045), accounting for 26.6% of the total effect.
Conclusion
GDM pregnant women have a certain negative illness perception of GDM, and the detection rate of depression symptoms is relatively high. The level of self-management behaviors among GDM pregnant women is notably suboptimal and warrants improvement. Depression partially mediates the relationship between illness perception and self-management behaviors. Improving positive illness perception and decreasing depression are important strategies to improve self-management behaviors in women with GDM.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST STATEMENT
No conflict of interest has been declared by the authors.
Open Research
DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT
The data supporting the findings of this study contain sensitive information related to pregnancy and childbirth, subject to strict privacy and ethical considerations. Consequently, the raw data cannot be publicly available in a repository. However, data may be obtained from the corresponding author upon reasonable request, in accordance with the privacy management protocols of our institution.
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