Relationship between illness perception and self‐management behaviors among women with gestational diabetes mellitus in China during the COVID‐19 pandemic: A mediating role of depression

Abstract Objective Describe the current status of illness perception, depression, and self‐management behaviors among women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) during the COVID‐19 pandemic, and explore the role of depression in the relationship between illness perception and self‐management behaviors among women with GDM. Methods Pregnant women diagnosed with GDM were recruited at the obstetrics clinic of a Grade‐A tertiary hospital in Wuhan, through convenience sampling. Self‐reported questionnaires including basic information, illness perception, depression, and self‐management behaviors were used to collect data from April 2021 to February 2022. Mediation analysis was performed by SPSS Process macro. Results Among GDM pregnant women, the mean self‐management behaviors score was 73.89 (SD = 12.21), the mean illness perception score was 31.80 (SD = 8.77), and 44.3% had depression scores of 10 or higher. The indirect effect of illness perception on self‐management behaviors mediated by depression was significant (path a * b, β = −0.045), accounting for 26.6% of the total effect. Conclusion GDM pregnant women have a certain negative illness perception of GDM, and the detection rate of depression symptoms is relatively high. The level of self‐management behaviors among GDM pregnant women is notably suboptimal and warrants improvement. Depression partially mediates the relationship between illness perception and self‐management behaviors. Improving positive illness perception and decreasing depression are important strategies to improve self‐management behaviors in women with GDM.