Association of Depression with Glycemic Control in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Background: Depression is an important psychological comorbidity in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and may adversely affect diabetes self-management and glycemic control. The objective is to assess the association between depression and glycemic control among patients with T2DM. Material and Methods: This prospective observational study included 50 patients with T2DM at Indira Gandhi Government Medical College, Nagpur, Maharashtra, from February to July 2026. Depression was assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), with a score ≥10 indicating clinically significant depressive symptoms. Glycemic control was assessed using HbA1c, and HbA1c ≥7% was considered poor glycemic control. Appropriate statistical tests and correlation analysis were performed, with p<0.05 considered statistically significant. Results: The mean age of participants was 54.6 ± 9.8 years. Clinically significant depressive symptoms were present in 40.0%, while 72.0% had poor glycemic control. Poor glycemic control was significantly more frequent among patients with depression than among those without clinically significant depressive symptoms (95.0% vs 56.7%, p=0.003). Mean HbA1c increased progressively from 7.18 ± 0.82% among patients with minimal depressive symptoms to 10.03 ± 1.21% among those with severe symptoms (p<0.001). PHQ-9 score showed a significant positive correlation with HbA1c (r=0.58, p<0.001). Conclusion: Depression was significantly associated with poor glycemic control in patients with T2DM. Incorporating depression screening into routine diabetes care may facilitate comprehensive management of these patients.

Keywords: Type 2 diabetes mellitus; depression; glycemic control; HbA1c; PHQ-9.