Self-Perceived Emotional Distress and Diabetes Risk Among Young Men
Abstract
Introduction There are mixed data regarding the effect of emotional distress on diabetes risk, especially among young adults. This study assessed the effect of self-perceived emotional distress on diabetes incidence among young men. Methods Incident diabetes during a mean follow-up of 6.3 (4.3) years was assessed among 32,586 men (mean age, 31.0 [5.6] years) of the Metabolic, Lifestyle, and Nutrition Assessment in Young Adults cohort with no history of diabetes between 1995 and 2011. Emotional distress was assessed by asking participants as part of a computerized questionnaire: Are you preoccupied by worries or concerns that affect your overall wellbeing? Time-dependent Cox models were applied. Data analysis took place between 2014 and 2015. Results There were 723 cases of diabetes during 206,382 person-years. The presence of distress was associated with a 53% higher incidence of diabetes (95% CI=1.08, 2.18, p=0.017) after adjustment for age, BMI, fasting plasma glucose, family history of diabetes, triglyceride and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels, education, cognitive performance, white blood cell count, physical activity, and sleep quality. These results persisted when distress, BMI, physical activity, and smoking status were treated as time-dependent variables (hazard ratio=1.66, 95% CI=1.21, 2.17, p=0.002). An adjusted hazard ratio of 2.14 (95% CI=1.04, 4.47, p=0.041) for incident diabetes was observed among participants persistently reporting emotional distress compared with those persistently denying it. Conclusions Sustained emotional distress contributes to the development of diabetes among young and apparently healthy men in a time-dependent manner. These findings warrant awareness by primary caregivers when stratifying diabetes risk.
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A link exists between perceived stress and development of T2DM.
“Considering the evidence as a whole, a link seems to exist between perceived stress and development of T2DM.”
From Type 2 diabetes mellitus and psychological stress — a modifiable risk factor (2017) · cites this paper as [80]
The association between perceived stress and T2DM varies by sex or socioeconomic status in some studies.
“However, this association has been shown in some studies to vary by sex or socioeconomic status (as measured by occupational status), which indicates that these factors might moderate this relationship.”
From Type 2 diabetes mellitus and psychological stress — a modifiable risk factor (2017) · cites this paper as [80]
In Israeli defence forces (n=32,584 men, n=723 incident cases of diabetes mellitus; mean follow-up 6.3 years), perceived emotional distress based on one item 'Are you preoccupied by worries or concerns that affect your overall wellbeing?' was associated with incident diabetes mellitus (HR 1.53, 95% CI 1.08-2.18).
“Israeli defence forces ( n = 32,584 men, n = 723 incident cases of diabetes mellitus; mean follow-up 6.3 years ) | Perceived emotional distress based on one item 'Are you preoccupied by worries or concerns that affect your overall wellbeing?' | *HR 1.53(95% CI 1.08- 2.18).”
From Type 2 diabetes mellitus and psychological stress — a modifiable risk factor (2017) · cites this paper as Twig (2016) 79
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- Authors
- Twig, G., Gerstein, H. C., Fruchter, E., Shina, A., Afek, A., Derazne, E., Tzur, D., Cukierman-Yaffe, T., Amital, D., Amital, H., & Tirosh, A.
- Affiliations
- Tel Aviv University (IL)
- Population Health Research Institute (CA)
- Israel Defense Forces Medical Corps (IL)
- Sheba Medical Center (IL)
- Brigham and Women's Hospital (US)
- Corresponding author
- Twig, Gilad
- ORCID
- Venue
- American Journal of Preventive Medicine
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2016-06
- Volume
- 50
- Issue
- 6
- Pages
- 737-745
- ISSN
- 0749-3797 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2278523843
- Cited by
- 6
- References
- 47
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2023: 1 · 2020: 1 · 2018: 1 · 2017: 2
- FWCI
- 1.00
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- American Journal of Preventive Medicine (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism › Diabetes, Cardiovascular Risks, and Lipoproteins
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism › Diabetes Management and Education
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism › Diabetes Management and Research
- Keywords
- emotional distress, diabetes incidence, young men, young adults, psychological stress, diabetes risk
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Blood Glucose, Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2, Follow-Up Studies, Humans, Life Style, Male, Prospective Studies, Risk Factors, Self Concept, Stress, Psychological, Body Mass Index, Incidence
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