The Moderating Effect of Social Support on the Association Between Healthcare Discrimination and Quality of Life in Persons with Type 2 Diabetes †
Abstract
1. Introduction
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Study Design
2.2. Selection of Study Cohort
2.3. Predictor Variable
2.4. Outcome Variables
2.5. Moderator Variable
2.6. Covariates
2.7. Data Analysis
3. Results
3.1. Sample Characteristics
3.2. Findings from the Multivariable Linear Regression
4. Discussion
5. Strengths and Limitations
6. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
References
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| Characteristic | N (%) |
|---|---|
| Age (mean, SD) | 61.69 (11.27) |
| Body Mass Index, kg/m2 (mean, SD) | 34.36 (7.69) |
| Sex at birth | |
| Male | 2366 (45.68) |
| Female | 2814 (54.32) |
| Race and ethnicity | |
| Non-Hispanic White | 3804 (73.44) |
| Non-Hispanic Black | 658 (12.70) |
| Hispanic | 459 (8.86) |
| Other | 259 (5.00) |
| Marital status | |
| Single | 769 (14.85) |
| Married/living with partner | 3000 (57.92) |
| Widowed/Divorced/Separated | 1411 (27.24) |
| Household income | |
| <$35,000 | 1579 (30.48) |
| $35,000–$74,999 | 1538 (29.69) |
| $75,000–$99,999 | 710 (13.71) |
| ≥$100,000 | 1411 (27.24) |
| Education | |
| High school or less | 758 (14.63) |
| Some college education | 1697 (32.76) |
| College graduate | 1376 (26.56) |
| Advanced degree | 1349 (26.04) |
| Model 1a | Model 1b—With Interaction | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adjusted Beta (95% CI) | p-Value | Adjusted Beta (95% CI) | p-Value | |
| Discrimination in healthcare (mEDS) | −0.12 [−0.14, −0.10] | <0.0001 | −0.16 [−0.20, −0.12] | <0.0001 |
| Social support (MOS-SSS) | 0.03 [0.03, 0.03] | <0.0001 | 0.02 [0.02, 0.03] | <0.0001 |
| Age | 0.08 [0.07, 0.09] | <0.0001 | 0.08 [0.07, 0.09] | <0.0001 |
| Body Mass Index | −0.03 [−0.04, −0.02] | <0.0001 | −0.03 [−0.04, −0.02] | <0.0001 |
| Sex at birth | ||||
| Female | [Reference] | [Reference] | ||
| Male | 0.09 [−0.08, 0.26] | 0.300 | 0.09 [−0.08, 0.26] | 0.308 |
| Race and ethnicity | ||||
| Non-Hispanic White | [Reference] | [Reference] | ||
| Non-Hispanic Black | 0.29 [0.04, 0.54] | 0.022 | 0.29 [0.04, 0.54] | 0.025 |
| Hispanic | 0.30 [0.00, 0.59] | 0.048 | 0.30 [0.01, 0.59] | 0.046 |
| Other | 0.10 [−0.27, 0.47] | 0.587 | 0.11 [−0.26, 0.48] | 0.566 |
| Marital status | ||||
| Single | [Reference} | [Reference] | ||
| Married/living with partner | −0.27 [−0.53, −0.01] | 0.038 | −0.26 [−0.52, −0.01] | 0.043 |
| Widowed/Divorced/Separated | −0.47 [−0.73, −0.21] | 0.0005 | −0.47 [−0.73, −0.20] | 0.001 |
| Household income | ||||
| <$35,000 | [Reference] | [Reference] | ||
| $35,000–$74,999 | 0.89 [0.67, 1.11] | <0.0001 | 0.88 [0.66, 1.11] | <0.0001 |
| $75,000–$99,999 | 1.20 [0.92, 1.49] | <0.0001 | 1.19 [0.90, 1.47] | <0.0001 |
| ≥$100,000 | 1.61 [1.34, 1.87] | <0.0001 | 1.60 [1.34, 1.87] | <0.0001 |
| Education | ||||
| High school or less | [Reference] | [Reference] | ||
| Some college education | 0.28 [0.02, 0.53] | 0.034 | 0.28 [0.02, 0.53] | 0.034 |
| College graduate | 0.52 [0.24, 0.79] | 0.0002 | 0.52 [0.24, 0.79] | 0.0002 |
| Advanced degree | 0.73 [0.45, 1.02] | <0.0001 | 0.73 [0.44, 1.02] | <0.0001 |
| mEDS × MOS-SSS (interaction term) | - | - | 0.001 [0.0001, 0.0012] | 0.0268 |
| Adjusted R2 | 34.7% | 31.8% | ||
| Mean Variance Inflation Factor | 1.08 | 1.48 | ||
| Model 2a | Model 2b—with Interaction | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adjusted Beta (95% CI) | p-Value | Adjusted Beta (95% CI) | p-Value | |
| Discrimination in healthcare (mEDS) | −0.10 [−0.11, −0.08] | <0.0001 | −0.10 [−0.14, −0.07] | <0.0001 |
| Social support (MOS-SSS) | 0.01 [0.01, 0.01] | <0.0001 | 0.01 [0.004, 0.016] | 0.002 |
| Age | 0.03 [0.02, 0.03] | <0.0001 | 0.03 [0.02, 0.03] | <0.0001 |
| Body Mass Index | −0.07 [−0.08, −0.06] | <0.0001 | −0.07 [−0.08, −0.06] | <0.0001 |
| Sex at birth | ||||
| Female | [Reference] | [Reference] | ||
| Male | 0.27 [0.12, 0.42] | 0.0003 | 0.27 [0.12, 0.42] | 0.0003 |
| Race and ethnicity | ||||
| Non-Hispanic White | [Reference] | [Reference] | ||
| Non-Hispanic Black | 0.03 [−0.18, 0.25] | 0.772 | 0.03 [−0.18, 0.25] | 0.776 |
| Hispanic | −0.16 [−0.41, 0.10] | 0.229 | −0.16 [−0.41, 0.10] | 0.230 |
| Other | −0.02 [−0.34, 0.29] | 0.890 | −0.02 [−0.34, 0.30] | 0.894 |
| Marital status | ||||
| Single | [Reference} | [Reference] | ||
| Married/living with partner | −0.49 [−0.71, −0.27] | <0.0001 | −0.49 [−0.71, −0.27] | <0.0001 |
| Widowed/Divorced/Separated | −0.39 [−0.62, −0.16] | 0.0007 | −0.39 [−0.62, −0.16] | 0.0007 |
| Household income | ||||
| <$35,000 | [Reference] | [Reference] | ||
| $35,000–$74,999 | 1.10 [0.91, 1.29] | <0.0001 | 1.10 [0.91, 1.29] | <0.0001 |
| $75,000–$99,999 | 1.40 [1.15, 1.64] | <0.0001 | 1.39 [1.15, 1.64] | <0.0001 |
| ≥$100,000 | 1.68 [1.45, 1.91] | <0.0001 | 1.68 [1.45, 1.91] | <0.0001 |
| Education | ||||
| High school or less | [Reference] | [Reference] | ||
| Some college education | 0.42 [0.20, 0.64] | 0.0002 | 0.42 [0.20, 0.64] | 0.0002 |
| College graduate | 0.86 [0.63, 1.10] | <0.0001 | 0.86 [0.63, 1.10] | <0.0001 |
| Advanced degree | 0.97 [0.73, 1.22] | <0.0001 | 0.97 [0.73, 1.22] | <0.0001 |
| mEDS MOS-SSS (interaction term) | - | - | 0.00007 | 0.780 |
| Adjusted R2 | 26.3% | 26.3% | ||
| Mean Variance Inflation Factor | 1.08 | 1.48 | ||
| Social Support | Effect | SE | T | p | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low = 40.740 (−1 SD) | −0.136 | 0.011 | −12.075 | <0.001 | [−0.159, −0.114] |
| Average = 68.168 (Mean) | −0.119 | 0.009 | −12.728 | <0.001 | [−0.137, −0.101] |
| High = 95.597 (+1 SD) | −0.101 | 0.013 | −7.822 | <0.001 | [−0.127, −0.076] |
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Ekpor, E.; Adawudu, E.A.; Agyen, S.A.; Romadlon, D.S.; Akyirem, S. The Moderating Effect of Social Support on the Association Between Healthcare Discrimination and Quality of Life in Persons with Type 2 Diabetes. Healthcare 2026, 14, 31. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare14010031
Ekpor E, Adawudu EA, Agyen SA, Romadlon DS, Akyirem S. The Moderating Effect of Social Support on the Association Between Healthcare Discrimination and Quality of Life in Persons with Type 2 Diabetes. Healthcare. 2026; 14(1):31. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare14010031
Chicago/Turabian StyleEkpor, Emmanuel, Emefa Awo Adawudu, Samuel Adu Agyen, Debby Syahru Romadlon, and Samuel Akyirem. 2026. "The Moderating Effect of Social Support on the Association Between Healthcare Discrimination and Quality of Life in Persons with Type 2 Diabetes" Healthcare 14, no. 1: 31. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare14010031
APA StyleEkpor, E., Adawudu, E. A., Agyen, S. A., Romadlon, D. S., & Akyirem, S. (2026). The Moderating Effect of Social Support on the Association Between Healthcare Discrimination and Quality of Life in Persons with Type 2 Diabetes. Healthcare, 14(1), 31. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare14010031

