The Relationship between Acceptance of Illness and Quality of Life in Mothers with Gestational Diabetes Mellitus

Introduction: Study on quality of life and acceptance of the illness plays a significant role in the health of pregnant women, especially pregnant women with gestational diabetes mellitus. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between the acceptance of illness and quality of life in mothers with gestational diabetes mellitus.

Methods: This descriptive-analytical study was performed on 150 mothers with gestational diabetes mellitus referred to Al-Zahra Hospital of Rasht, Iran, using available sampling method. Data were collected by a demographic information checklist and 36-Item Short Form Health Survey questionnaire (SF-36) in two dimensions, physical and mental health. Data were analyzed by SPSS 20 software and using chi-squared, Fisher's exact, and Mantel-Haenszel tests.

Results: Among the mothers, 37.3% accepted the illness and 62.7% did not. There was a significant relationship between the quality of life status or score and the gestational age (p = 0.019), surgical history (p = 0.005), number of operations (p = 0.002) and previous history of diabetes in previous pregnancies (p = 0.037). However, with the control of individual and social variables, Mantel-Haenszel test did not show significant relationship between acceptance of illness and the quality of life of the mothers. On the other hand, the relationship between acceptance of illness and quality of life was not significant, based on χ2 test.

Conclusion: It is suggested that training classes be held before and during pregnancy for mothers at the reproductive age so that they have the readiness and knowledge to deal with the disease properly.