Objective: Previous work suggests that diabetes stigma may be associated with poorer psychological wellbeing in people with type 2 diabetes. However, no study has determined whether social support might moderate this association. The primary aim of this study was to examine the association between diabetes-related stigma and symptoms of depression and anxiety. The secondary objective was to determine whether different forms of social support (i.e. generic social support or diabetes-specific social support) moderated the relationships between stigma and symptoms of depression and/or anxiety.

Research design and methods: An online survey was distributed through diabetes-related charities, social media and diabetes forums. Participants were 108 adults, aged 18 or older diagnosed with type 2 diabetes who lived in the United Kingdom (mean age 58.4 years old, 63.9% female). The survey asked about diabetes stigma, depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, generic social support and diabetes-specific social support. Data was analysed using linear regression; firstly, to determine the direct association between diabetes-stigma with depressive and anxiety symptoms, and then to examine whether generic and diabetes-specific social support moderated those associations.

Results: Type 2 diabetes-related stigma predicted depressive symptoms after adjusting for all covariates (β = 0.284, p ˂ .05). Type 2 diabetes-related stigma predicted anxiety symptoms when sociodemographics were controlled for (β = 0.249, p ˂ .05), but this relationship was attenuated by the inclusion of diabetes characteristics (β = 0.188, ns). Neither form of social support functioned as a moderator in these relationships.

Conclusion: This study lends support to previous research which has found an association between type 2 diabetes-related stigma and psychological wellbeing. This indicates the need for interventions to reduce type 2 diabetes-related stigma and to improve psychological wellbeing amongst individuals with the condition.