Type 2 diabetes stigma and its association with clinical, psychological, and behavioral outcomes: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Aim: To synthesize quantitative research evidence on the association between type 2 diabetes (T2D) stigma and psychological, behavioral, and clinical outcomes.

Methods: We searched APA PsycINFO, Cochrane Central, Scopus, Web of Science, Medline, CINAHL and EMBASE through November 2022. Peer-reviewed observational studies examining the association between T2D stigma and psychological, behavioral, and/or clinical outcomes were eligible for inclusion. Risk of bias was assessed with the JBI critical appraisal checklist. Correlation coefficients were pooled in random effect meta-analyses.

Results: Our search produced 9642 citations, 29 met the inclusion criteria. Included articles were published between 2014 and 2022. We found a weak positive correlation between T2D stigma and HbA1C (r = 0.16, 95% CI:0.08 to 025, I = 70%, N = 7 studies), a moderate positive correlation between T2D stigma and depressive symptoms (r = 0.49, 95% CI: 0.44 to 0.54, I = 26.9%, n = 5 studies) and diabetes distress (r = 0.54, 95% CI: 0.35 to 0.72, I = 96.9%, n = 7studies). Persons with T2D stigma who experienced stigma tended to have less engagement in diabetes self-management, though this association was weak (r = -0.17, 95% CI: -0.25 to -0.08, I = 79.8%, n = 7studies).

Conclusions: T2D stigma was associated with negative health outcomes. Further studies are required to disentangle the underlying causal mechanisms to inform the development of appropriate stigma-reduction interventions.