The Influence of Types of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus, Self-management, Social Support, and Risk Perception on Health-related Quality of Life in Pregnant Women with Gestational Diabetes Mellitus

Abstract

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the factors influencing the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in pregnant women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Materials and Methods: Participants were 140 pregnant women with GDM who were receiving antenatal care at King Chulalongkorn Memorial hospital, Bangkok. Data were collected to obtain information including the self-management questionnaire, the social support questionnaire, perceived risk of GDM questionnaire, and gestational diabetes mellitus questionnaire-36 (GDMQ-36). Data were analyzed by using descriptive statistics, Pearson's product-moment correlation, point biserial correlation, and multiple linear regression. Results: The results showed that the participants had diagnosed with GDMA1 and GDMA2 equal to 45.7% and 54.3%, respectively. The HRQoL of the participants were 62.06 and influenced by self-management, social support, and risk perception. The HRQoL would be increased if pregnant women had self-management effectively (β = 0.236, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.201 to 0.586, p < 0.001), received social support (β = 0.222, 95% CI 0.199 to 0.672, p < 0.001), and received information in a proper level (β = -0.644, 95% CI -0.982 to -0.689, p < 0.001). Conclusion: Improving HRQoL of pregnant women with GDM, health care providers should encourage pregnant women to have effective self-management, receive social support, and perceive the risks of GDM at an appropriate level.