Do depression, anxiety, emotional intelligence, and sleep quality affect diabetes management self-efficacy in Korean women with gestational diabetes in pregnancy?: a descriptive correlational study.

Purpose: This study aimed to identify factors associated with diabetes management self-efficacy in pregnant women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) in Korea.

Methods: A total of 173 pregnant women with GDM in Korea were recruited by posting announcements at two Korean online communities focusing on pregnancy and GDM. Participants completed a structured online survey from July to September 2018. Thirteen inappropriate responses were excluded and a total of 160 questionnaires were used in the final analysis. Descriptive statistics were calculated and multiple regression with the enter method was done to identify the associations of depressive mood, anxiety, emotional intelligence, and sleep quality with diabetes management self-efficacy.

Results: Respondents reported a moderately depressive mood (mean, 10.36), low to moderate anxiety (mean, 41.65), above-average emotional intelligence (mean, 78.04), moderate sleep quality (mean, 42.01), and above-average diabetes management self-efficacy (mean, 52.29). The major factor associated with diabetes management self-efficacy of pregnant women with GDM was emotional intelligence (β=.51, <.001). Other factors, in descending order of influence, were sleep quality (β=.22, <.001) and exercise (β=.18, =.004). Taken together, the aforementioned factors explained 34.6% (F=39.53, <.001) of the total variance.

Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that to improve the diabetes management self-efficacy of pregnant women with GDM, it is necessary to develop an education program that can also enhance emotional intelligence, sleep quality, and exercise.