Predictors of Complication Risk Perception and Impact on Self-Management Behavior in Young and Middle-Aged Patients with Type 2 Diabetes: A Latent Profile Analysis.

AIM: To explore latent categories of complication risk perception in young and middle-aged patients with T2DM, and to examine their relationship with self-management behavior.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted between September 2024 and March 2025, involving 316 young and middle-aged patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus from the endocrinology department of a tertiary hospital in Jiangsu Province, China. Data were collected via a general information questionnaire, the Diabetes Risk Perception Scale, and the Diabetes Self-Management Behavior Scale. Latent profile analysis identified distinct complication risk perception groups, while logistic regression was performed to identify factors influencing different categories. Self-management Behavior scores were compared across subgroups.

RESULTS

Complication risk perception in young and middle-aged patients with T2DM was divided into three latent categories: the Low Risk Perception-Optimism Bias Group (43.7%, n=138), the Overall Medium Risk Perception Group (42.1%, n=133), and the High Risk Perception-Worry Group (14.2%, n=45). Logistic regression indicated that education level, employment status, disease duration, complications, and the occurrence of hypoglycemia within a week were all significantly associated with the risk perception categories (p < 0.05). Significant differences in self-management behavior scores were observed among the different risk perception categories (p < 0.05). Specifically, patients in the High Risk Perception-Worry Group attained the highest total score (M = 2.54, SD = 0.56), while those in the Low Risk Perception-Optimism Bias Group scored the lowest (M = 2.02, SD = 1.12).

CONCLUSION

Three latent categories of complication risk perception were identified in young and middle-aged patients with T2DM, and their self-management behaviors differed significantly across these categories. Clinicians should provide targeted interventions based on the risk characteristics of each category to improve self-management behaviors.