Depressive symptoms are reported at a high level in adults with type 2 diabetes (T2D). A recent study published in the ‘Journal of diabetes and its complications’ revealed that self management interventions will play an inevitable role in alleviating these symptoms in T2D patients.

The researchers analyzed data from a randomized controlled trial in which 506 adults with diabetes participated in a text messaging diabetes self-management support REACH. Participants also completed the Patient Health Questionnaire-8 (PHQ) and A1c tests at baseline and 6 months. A factor analysis was utilized to identify somatic- and cognitive-affective symptoms on the PHQ. The results showed that REACH improved depressive symptoms among participants with lower baseline A1c at 6 months compared with baseline.

According to the researchers, the study indicates that there is no reason to exclude people with elevated depressive symptoms from efforts to improve diabetes self-management and more studies examining both physical and cognitive symptoms of depression are required in adults with type 2 diabetes to determine how self-care behaviors might improve symptoms.

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