Patient-Physician Trust, Emotional Distress, and Self-Care Activities of Adults with Type II Diabetes Mellitus

The present research was set out to examine the relationship between patient-physician trust, diabetes related emotional distress, and self-care activities of adults with Type II Diabetes Mellitus. Moreover, the aim was to identify the mediating role of diabetes related emotional distress on the relationship between patient-physician trust and self-care activities. Correlational research design was used in the current research. The sample consisted of 180 adults diagnosed with Type II Diabetes Mellitus, recruited through purposive sampling technique. Interpersonal Physician Trust Scale (Hall et al., 2002), Problem Areas in Diabetes Questionnaire (Polonsky et al., 2005), and Self-care Inventory (La Greca, 1992) was used to assess patient-physician trust, diabetes related emotional distress and self-care activities, respectively. Pearson Product Moment Correlation and multiple hierarchical regression analyses were used to infer the proposed hypotheses. The results revealed a positive relationship between patient-physician trust and self-care activities, while, diabetes related emotional distress, was negatively related to self-care activities. There was a negative relationship between patientphysician trust and diabetes related emotional distress. Diabetes related emotional distress mediated the relationship between patient-physician trust and self-care activities of adults with Type II Diabetes Mellitus after controlling for gender, age, age at onset, and treatment modality. The findings have important implication in the field of health and counseling psychology, as physician and counselors can assist patients through their diabetes’ self-care practices by developing trust, which is likely to reduce emotional distress.