Psychosocial Features of Clinically Relevant Patient Subgroups With Serious Mental Illness and Comorbid Diabetes

Objective: Care for people with serious mental illness and diabetes is complicated by clinical heterogeneity. This cross-sectional analysis of 200 individuals with comorbid serious mental illness and diabetes explored differentiation between patient subgroups that were characterized on the basis of selected dimensions within a biopsychosocial framework. Methods: Relationships between self-efficacy, treatment expectation, social support, and depression were first assessed via bivariate Spearman correlations among 200 individuals participating in a randomized controlled trial who had diabetes along with major depression, bipolar disorder, or schizophrenia. Next, latent profile analyses were conducted to determine underlying subgroups on the basis of these variables. The resultant groups were compared on diabetes control, function, and symptoms. Results: Two subgroups emerged. One had more severe psychiatric symptoms, low scores on other psychosocial variables, and worse diabetes control. The other had low levels of psychiatric symptoms, better scores on other variables, and better diabetes control. Conclusions: Symptom presentation and internal and external resources appeared to be related to diabetes control for people with comorbid diabetes and serious mental illness. Care approaches need to go beyond standard education and consider biopsychosocial variables.