Relations of diabetes intrusiveness and personal control to symptoms of depression among adults with diabetes

The generalizability of a model linking illness characteristics to psychoso cial well-being was tested in a cross-sectional study of 237 adults with ty pe 2 diabetes. It was hypothesized that diabetic complications increase ill ness intrusiveness, which in turn increases depressive symptomatology eithe r directly or indirectly by reducing personal control over health outcomes. illness intrusiveness was defined as the result of disruptions of valued a ctivities and interests due to constraints imposed by the illness. An excel lent fit of this model to the data was found using structural equation mode ling. The model explained 65% of the variance in depressive symptomatology. Assessment of an alternative model excluding personal control suggested th at the extent to which diabetes intrudes in life, rather than diabetic comp lications per se or personal control, is a key factor in relation to depres sive symptomatology in individuals with diabetes.