Psychosocial Factors and Development of T2DM in Mexican Immigrant and Mexican American Women in the U.S.

Introduction and Objective: For the overall Hispanic population, the prevalence of T2DM is higher in women than men. Women of Mexican descent may be most affected as the prevalence of obesity is higher in women compared to men. Research gaps exist in relation to psychosocial/environmental factors that may influence the development of T2DM within women of Mexican descent Methods: The aim of this study was to examine the psychosocial factors (e.g., depressive symptoms and stress coping strategies) and their association with diet, levels of physical activity, perceived social support, acculturation and glucose tolerance among a sample of Mexican Immigrant (MI) and Mexican American (MA) women living in the US. Results: Demographics of this group included 112 women, most Mexican-born, with a mean age of 39 years, and most having lived in the US for 20 years. There were no significant associations between depressive symptoms, stress coping strategies, diet, and levels of physical activity with glucose tolerance. However, there were significant correlations between task-oriented coping strategies, levels of physical activity (r =.283, p<0.01) and diet (r =.231, p<.0.05). There were significant correlations between depressive symptoms and emotion-oriented coping (r =.412, p<0.01) and avoidance-oriented coping (r =.328, p<0.01). The support of friends was associated with avoidance-oriented coping (rs =.195 p<0.05). Conclusion: Psychosocial factors that were found to correlate significantly with major drivers of T2DM (e.g., diet and levels of physical activity) included stress coping strategies and perceived levels of social support. Future research, including a full mediation analysis, are needed to further refine how these factors influence the development of T2DM in women of Mexican descent. Disclosure: L.T. Quinn: None. E. Rios: None.