Are levels of coping with stress in pregnancy with gestational diabetes worse than in healthy pregnancy?

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to analyze the levels of coping with stress in healthy pregnant women in comparison with the levels of coping with stress in pregnant women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Materials and methods: In the study, the descriptive cross-sectional research design was used. The study was carried out with 218 pregnant women in total. Results: It was found that the healthy pregnant women had a higher total score for coping with stress and used the self-confident coping style, one of the effective coping styles, more frequently when compared to the pregnant women with GDM (p < .001). In addition, the pregnant women with GDM used the desperate coping style, one of the ineffective coping styles, more frequently than the healthy pregnant women (p < .001). Conclusions: Diabetes education that nurses give should allow not only the nurses to evaluate the coping levels of pregnant women with GDM, but also to teach these pregnant women how to use effective coping styles.

Empowerment and Social Support as Predictors of Self-Care Behaviors and Glycemic Control in Individuals With Type 2 Diabetes.

This study investigated empowerment, social support, and diabetes-related characteristics as predictors of self-care behaviors and glycemic control in individuals with type 2 diabetes in Turkey. Descriptive cross-sectional and relational research designs were used in this study. The study was carried out with a cohort of 220 individuals with type 2 diabetes. Linear regression analysis revealed that patient empowerment was a statistically significant predictor of diet (ß = .30; p < .001), exercise (ß = .19; p = .003), blood glucose monitoring (ß = .27; p < .001), foot care (ß = .27; p < .001), and A1c (ß = -.19; p = .004). Social support was a statistically significant predictor of diet (ß = .24; p < .001), exercise (ß = .26; p < .001), blood glucose monitoring (ß = .16; p = .011), and foot care (ß = .19; p = .003). These results indicate that social support and empowerment are important for nurses to consider when planning interventions that increase the self-care behavior of individuals with type 2 diabetes and for improving glycemic control.