Relationship between Risk Perception for Complications and Self-Management of Insulin Treatment in Individuals with Type 2 Diabetes: Cross-Sectional Study

Background: Complications are common in individuals with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) when effective disease management is not achieved. One factor that may be related to disease management is risk perception. Risk perception can influence an individual's health behaviors.
Aim: The study was conducted to determine the relationship between the risk perception of complications in individuals with T2DM and insulin treatment self-management.
Methods: The research was conducted in a descriptive and correlational type. The study was conducted at a university hospital between September 15, 2023, and January 30, 2024, with individuals diagnosed with T2DM. The study included 287 individuals. Data were collected using the Patient Identification Form, the Risk Perception Scale for Diabetes Mellitus (RDS-DM), and the Insulin Therapy Self-Management Scale (ITSM).
Results: The participants' mean risk knowledge score in RPS-DM was 2.80±0.33, the mean composite risk perception score was 2.39±0.43 and the total mean score of ITSM was 115.19±19.14. It was determined that the risk knowledge of individuals with T2DM was weakly positively correlated with ITSM (r=0.215; p<0.01). It was observed that the risk perception regarding complications was positively correlated with the behavioral and cognitive sub-dimension mean scores of the ITSM (p<0.05).
Conclusion: Based on the scores obtained from the scales, it was determined that individuals with T2DM had high knowledge of complications, high risk perception, and above-average insulin treatment self-management levels.  Furthermore, it was determined that risk perception regarding complications is related to insulin therapy self-management in behavioral and cognitive dimensions. It is important for nurses to provide training and follow-up to ensure that individuals continue correct and appropriate insulin treatment.