Relationships among Social Comparison Orientation and Adjustment to Type 2 Diabetes in Adults

As people continue to live longer, there are more opportunities to acquire a chronic illness or disability in their lifetime. The onset and diagnosis of illnesses such as Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) has such a subtle and insidious onset that individuals may go undiagnosed. Over 30 million adults in the United States have been diagnosed with a form of diabetes. With the increasing numbers of people experiencing chronic illness, understanding how the person navigates the process of adjustment will be of high importance to rehabilitation professionals. By applying the social comparison theory and the theory of adjustment to disability, the present study aimed to answer three research questions: 1) What are the relationships among perceived health status, self-esteem, social comparison orientation and adjustment to T2D?, 2) What are the impacts of perceived health status, self-esteem, social comparison orientation on the adjustment to T2D above and beyond the factors of age and gender?, and 3) To what extent does self-esteem, perceived health status, social comparison orientation scores (including upward and downward social comparison scores) predict adjustment to disability based on age? A sample of 136 adults with type 2 diabetes throughout the state of Florida responded to the online survey. A hierarchical regression analysis was conducted to analyze the data. In the age group of 21 to 34-year old participants, upward social comparison orientation was a significant predictor of adjustment to disability. For ages 51 to 65, the significant predictors of adjustment to disability were self-esteem score and downward social comparison orientation score. These findings present rehabilitation professionals with a means of understanding and exploring the individual differences in the factors related to adjustment to disability.