Author(s)

Carolyn A. Fan, Lindsey Sattler, Christopher Parkinson, Boby G. Thekadeth, Sant P. Singh, Lawrence C. Perlmuter

Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center, North Chicago, USA.
Department of Psychology, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, North Chicago, USA.

Study Objectives: This study evaluated how a family history of diabetes moderates the effects of diabetes on anxiety, depression, as well as sleep quality. Design: Outpatients with diabetes responded to questionnaires on family history of diabetes, sleep quality, anxiety and depression. Participants: Participants were recruited from the Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center in North Chicago, Illinois. All participants were adult males (n = 33) with ages ranging from 50 to 88 and were diagnosed with type 1 or type 2 diabetes. There were 8 subjects without a family history of diabetes and 25 subjects with family history of diabetes. Results: In comparison to those with a family history of diabetes, patients without a family history of diabetes were found to experience a poorer quality of sleep, evaluated on the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index [PSQI] (t = 3.62, p = 0.001). Anxiety, depression, family history and the Interaction of family history with depression were found to be significant predictors of sleep quality (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Patients without a family history of diabetes exhibit more anxiety and depression and have more sleep problems than those patients who have a family history of diabetes. Presumably a family history of diabetes better informs and prepares these patients for the many unique problems associated with diabetes thereby decreasing disease related anxiety and depression.

Diabetes; PSQI; Sleep Quality; Anxiety; Depression; Family History

Fan, C. , Sattler, L. , Parkinson, C. , Thekadeth, B. , Singh, S. and Perlmuter, L. (2013) The effect of family history of diabetes on sleep quality, depression, and anxiety in adult males with diabetes. Journal of Diabetes Mellitus, 3, 11-14. doi: 10.4236/jdm.2013.31002.