IMPACT OF SOCIAL SUPPORT, SOCIAL COGNITIVE VARIABLES, AND PERCEIVED THREAT ON DEPRESSION AMONG ADULTS WITH DIABETES

Tested was a model of social support and cognitive appraisal of self-e fficacy, outcome expectancies, and illness threat on depression. Study participants were community-dwelling adults with diabetes who complet ed a mailed questionnaire (N = 362). Results of structural equation mo deling indicated that 52% of the variance in depression was explained by the model-largely by the direct effects of physical functioning, th e perceived availability of social support, and the perceived threat o f diabetes as well as the indirect paths from perceived support to per ceived threat and from physical functioning to perceived support and p erceived threat of diabetes. Diabetes-specific social support, self-ef ficacy, and outcome expectancies were not significant predictors of de pression.