Effects of Mental Illness Amongst Adults in the United States Living With Diabetes Mellitus on Hospital Admissions

Marina Gettas; Jim E Banta; R Patti Herring; W Lawrence Beeson; Jisoo Oh; Razaz Shaheen

doi:10.7759/cureus.46145

Effects of Mental Illness Amongst Adults in the United States Living With Diabetes Mellitus on Hospital Admissions

Cureus. 2023 Sep 28;15(9):e46145. doi: 10.7759/cureus.46145. eCollection 2023 Sep.

Authors

Marina Gettas¹, Jim E Banta¹, R Patti Herring², W Lawrence Beeson³, Jisoo Oh⁴, Razaz Shaheen⁵

Affiliations

¹ Health Policy and Leadership Program, School of Public Health, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, USA.
² Health Promotion and Education Program, School of Public Health, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, USA.
³ Epidemiology and Biostatistics Programs, School of Public Health, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, USA.
⁴ Epidemiology and Health Policy and Leadership Programs, School of Public Health, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, USA.
⁵ Preventive Care Program, School of Public Health, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, USA.

Abstract

Objective: To examine the influence of comorbid mental illness on hospitalization among adults reporting diabetes mellitus.

Methods: This cross-sectional observational study used National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) data from 2000-2018 to examine hospitalization. Mental illness was defined as no to low psychological distress (NLPD), moderate psychological distress (MPD), and serious psychological distress (SPD) as per the Kessler-6 scale. Socio-demographic factors and health status were added as covariates in binary logistic regression.

Results: This study involved 48,807 survey participants and reflected an estimated population of 17,524,418 adults with diabetes in the United States, of whom 19.9% were hospitalized in the year prior to the survey. Among those who were hospitalized, 71.5% exhibited None to Low Psychological Distress (NLPD), 17.7% reported Moderate Psychological Distress (MPD), and 10.8% reported Serious Psychological Distress (SPD). Conversely, among non-hospitalized individuals, the percentages were as follows: 83.2% had NLPD, 11.4% had MPD, and 5.3% had SPD. The odds ratio (OR) for hospitalization was found to be OR=1.31 (95% CI: 1.20, 1.43, p<0.0001) for MPD and OR=1.42 (95% CI: 1.28, 1.58, p<0.0001) for SPD, in comparison to those with no or low psychological distress.

Conclusion: Among adults with diabetes mellitus, those with mental illness were more likely to be hospitalized than those without mental illness. Programs and policies to improve care among adults with both mental illness and diabetes may help to reduce hospitalizations.

Keywords: adult; chronic disease; comorbidity; diabetes mellitus; hospitalization; psychological distress; united states.