A systematic review and Qualitative meta-analysis on the role of stress in the etiology of diabetes

Psychological stress is common in many chronic diseases, and considerable evidence suggests its role as a serious risk factor in the etiology and course of diabetes. Therefore, the present study aimed to systematically review and Qualitative meta-analysis on the role of stress in the etiology of diabetes in Iran and other countries. The data in this qualitative meta-analysis was all articles and theses related to keywords and in line with the purpose of the research. Database searches were conducted between 2010 and 2019 with keywords such as systematic review, Qualitative meta-analysis, stress, diabetes as well as searches based on the amount of citations of researchers in this field. The analysis of the findings of the researches showed that the researches have both significant and prominent features both structurally and methodologically and in terms of content. All researches that were analyzed and evaluated in the present study included 35 researches, out of which were 94.28% article research, and 5.71 were dissertations. The findings of the study showed that the most research was in the period 2016-2019, with 24 (68.57%) researches. The results of the present meta-analysis indicated that stress and diabetes interacted through cognitive, behavioral, physiological and biochemical systems and could interact bilaterally. Stress can affect self-regulation and self-control by controlling eating and diet-related behaviors in diabetic patients, resulting in lack of glycemic control and exacerbation of physical and psychological problems in these patients. Stress can also exacerbate the problems of diabetic patients with irregular sleep, inactivity and overeating. In fact, the relationship between stress and diabetes is a two-way relationship, each of which can cause the other to lose control of the situation and lead to damaging physical and psychological damage. The findings of the present study could provide psychologists, counselors, and mental health professionals with the opportunity to discuss and design appropriate treatment protocols to reduce the negative consequences of diabetes, to make more choices for the treatment of various types of cognitive impairment. and the psychology of these patients.