Mental Health in Gerontology: The Role of Age and Disease Duration on Perceived Stress Among Older Adults with Type 2 Diabetes

Abstract

Background: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) management in older adults often prioritizes conventional medical therapy while neglecting psychosocial dimensions. Chronic psychological stress, if unaddressed, may exacerbate glycemic instability via hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis activation. Purpose: This study aimed to assess perceived stress levels and examine the influence of age and disease duration on psychological distress among community dwelling older adults with T2DM. Methods: A descriptive analytic cross sectional study was conducted among 30 older adults recruited via purposive sampling at a primary healthcare center (Puskesmas Rawat Inap Jungkat). Psychological distress was evaluated using the Perceived Stress Scale 10, with data analyzed using Spearman Rank correlation. Results: All respondents experienced psychological distress, with 60.0% reporting moderate levels and 40.0% reporting severe levels. Significant positive correlations were observed between stress severity and both advancing age (r=0.432; p=0.021) and duration of T2DM (r=0.512; p=0.015). Conclusion: The findings indicate that all respondents at the Jungkat Inpatient Public Health Center experience psychological distress, with stress levels positively correlated with advancing age and the duration of Type 2 diabetes mellitus. Empirically, these results demonstrate that psychological vulnerability is directly proportional to biological aging and the chronicity of the disease. Due to the small sample size and the study's specific geographical scope, these findings cannot be generalized to broader populations. Nevertheless, these results underscore the urgent need for primary healthcare facilities within the Jungkat region to consider integrating psychogeriatric care, specifically by incorporating stress management training as a standard procedure in the management of T2DM in the community.