Profiling the mental health of diabetic patients: a cross-sectional survey of Zimbabwean patients.

The average age of participants was 54.1 (SD 18.6) years. Most of the participants were; females (69.4%), married (51.9%), and were of low level of income (43.5%). 37.1% of the participants exhibited signs of psychiatric morbidity [mean Shona Symptoms Questionnaire score-6.7 (SD 3.2)]. Further, patients also reported lower HRQoL [mean EQ-5D-VAS score-64.1 (SD 15.3)] and high levels of SS [mean Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support score-43.7 (SD 11.5)]. Patients who received greater amount of SS had optimal mental health. Being female, unmarried, lower education attainment, having more comorbid conditions, being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and having been diagnosed of diabetes for a longer duration were associated with poorer mental health. It is important to develop context-specific interventions to improve diabetic patients' mental health.