Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between social capital (SC) and hypertension among type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients, considering the moderation effects of depressive symptoms.
Patients and Methods: A total of 1761 Chinese T2DM patients completed measure scales of social capital and epidemiological survey depression scale (CES-D). The Bootstrap methods PROCESS program is employed to test the moderation model.
Results: The prevalence of hypertension among T2DM patients was 39.3%. The SC was negatively correlated with the CES-D score (r=− 0.18, P< 0.01); the SC was also negatively correlated with diastolic blood pressure (r=− 0.05, P< 0.05); and the CES-D score was positively correlated with systolic blood pressure (r=0.05, P< 0.05). Both logistic regression analysis and the Bootstrap method showed that depressive symptoms weakened the protective effect of SC on hypertension, there existed a moderating effect of depressive symptoms on the relationship between SC and hypertension among T2DM patients.
Conclusion: Depressive symptoms may be one crucial moderator of the relationship between SC and hypertension in a representative sample of Chinese diabetes patients. The findings indicate that improving SC and mental health may help manage hypertension among T2DM patients.
Keywords: social capital, depressive symptoms, hypertension, moderation, type 2 diabetes mellitus