Abstract

Chronic diseases are broadly defined as conditions that last a year or longer, limit activities of daily living, and require constant medical care. The international literature provides increasingly nuanced conceptualizations of adjustment, revealing that the experience of chronic diseases requires adaptation in multiple life domains. Several studies have looked at the impact of chronic diseases on patients’ quality of life and subjective well-being. The data of this correlational study were collected using a protocol of 12 standardized questionnaires administered to 80 patients with type 1 or 2 diabetes. Data from multiple linear regression analyses showed that the severity of physical symptoms was among the predictors of participants’ satisfaction with their physical functioning (autonomy), global life satisfaction, and negative affective mood. Beliefs in general self-efficacy and dispositional optimism were predictors of global life satisfaction and negative affective mood. Participants’ perception of the availability and adequacy of social support from their partners was also a predictor of indicators of subjective well-being. Some implications for understanding the dimensions of adjustment of chronically ill patients to specific demands are discussed.

Keywords: Chronic diseases; diabetes; physical health; predictor; subjective well-being