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Diabetes and Vascular Disease

SAT-532 - Older Age Is Associated With Lower Diabetes Distress in Adults With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Saturday, June 13, 2026
9:30 AM - 4:30 PM CT

    Submitting author(s)

  • RF

    Rafael Fell, MD

    Resident Physician
    Jewish Hospital of Cincinnati
    Cincinnati, Ohio, United States

    • Late-Breaking Poster Presenter(s)

  • RF

    Rafael Fell, MD

    Resident Physician
    Jewish Hospital of Cincinnati
    Cincinnati, Ohio, United States

    • Co-Author(s)

  • NM

    Nicole Morozov, MD

    Resident Physician
    The Jewish Hospital of Cincinnati - Mercy Health
    Cincinnati, United States

    • Senior Author/Primary Investigator(s)

  • DN

    David Nartker, MD

    Jewish Hospital of Cincinnati
    Cincinnati, Ohio, United States



Background: Diabetes distress is an important component of the psychosocial burden of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and may adversely affect self-management. Better understanding of which patient groups experience greater distress may help guide screening and supportive care.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of 81 adults with T2DM who completed a 13-item diabetes distress survey, adapted from the DDS-17. The primary outcome was mean total diabetes distress score across all items. Secondary outcomes included regimen-related distress, interpersonal distress, and emotional burden subscale scores. Internal consistency was assessed using Cronbach’s alpha. Because distress scores were non-normally distributed, between-group comparisons were performed using Mann-Whitney U and Kruskal-Wallis tests, as appropriate.

Results: The 13-item instrument demonstrated excellent internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.94). Total diabetes distress differed significantly by age group (p = 0.034). Median total distress scores were 1.54 in participants aged < 40 years (n = 9), 1.62 in those aged 40–65 years (n = 42), and 1.15 in those aged >65 years (n = 26), indicating lower distress among older adults. Age group was also significantly associated with regimen-related distress (p = 0.026), with a trend toward association with emotional burden (p = 0.057). No statistically significant differences in total diabetes distress were observed by sex (p = 0.259), CGM use (p = 0.124), or insulin-use category (p = 0.171).

Conclusion: In this cohort of adults with T2DM, diabetes distress varied by age, with lower distress observed among older participants. These findings suggest that age may be an important consideration in psychosocial assessment and may help identify patients who could benefit from additional diabetes-related support.

*Unless otherwise noted, all abstracts presented at ENDO must not be released to the press or the public until the date and time of presentation. For oral presentations, the abstracts are embargoed until the session begins. The Endocrine Society reserves the right to lift the embargo on specific abstracts that are selected for promotion prior to or during ENDO.*