Mental well-being in people with and without diabetes: Results from the Health in Germany panel 2025
Abstract
Background: Diabetes mellitus is associated with an increased risk of mental health problems, but evidence on its association with positive mental health is limited. Maintaining good quality of life is a key treatment goal in the German ‘National Care Guideline for Type 2 Diabetes’, highlighting the relevance of well-being for successful diabetes management. This study examines the association between diabetes status and mental well-being in a nationwide sample of adults in Germany.
Methods: Data is based on the 2025 annual survey from the panel Health in Germany of the Robert Koch Institute (cross-sectional analyses; 28,153 adults ≥18 years). Diabetes was defined as physician-diagnosed diabetes (excluding gestational diabetes only). Well-being was assessed using the World Health Organization-Five Well-Being Index (WHO-5; range 0-25). Age-adjusted means (M) and proportions of poor well-being (<13) are reported. Weighted prevalence ratios (PR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) for poor well-being were estimated using Poisson regression, adjusted for age (model 1) and additionally for sex, education, smoking, physical activity, and body mass index (model 2).
Results: In 2025, the average mental well-being of people with diabetes was exactly at the cut-off for poor well-being (n = 2,580; M = 13.1, 95% CI 12.8-13.5), unlike that of people without diabetes (n = 25,573; 14.6, 14.5-14.7). People with diabetes had a higher prevalence of poor well-being than those without diabetes (43.9% vs. 33.8%). In age-adjusted model 1, diabetes was associated with a 1.3-fold (PR 1.30, 95% CI 1.20-1.41) higher prevalence of poor well-being, which was attenuated, but remained statistically significant in model 2 (1.19, 1.10-1.30).
Conclusions: Almost half of the people with diabetes reported poor well-being, indicating a need for mental health conditions to be clarified. To track changes over time, continuous population-based monitoring of well-being among people with diabetes is necessary.
Key messages: • The findings highlight the importance of considering subjective well-being as an integral part of needs-based diabetes care.
• Further research is required to elucidate the determinants of well-being in people with diabetes.
Related
- Acceptability of blinded continuous glucose monitoring for people with serious mental illness and type 2 diabetes: findings from an exploratory mixed-methods study.
- Voice changes associated with stress and distress in people living with diabetes: Results from the Colive Voice study
- Is the health system working for people? Comparison of adolescent and adult perspectives from the people´s voice survey in Germany
- Violence prevention and incident documentation in elderly and special needs care institutions in southern Germany: results from semi-structured interviews
- Mental health conditions among children and adolescents in Germany – An analysis of healthcare data
BibTeX
@article{neuperdt2026mental,
title = {{Mental well-being in people with and without diabetes: Results from the Health in Germany panel 2025}},
author = {L Neuperdt and V Birgel and Y Du and C Cohrdes and H Neuhauser and C Heidemann},
journal = {The European Journal of Public Health},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1093/eurpub/ckag169.1081},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/ckag169.1081},
note = {CC BY-NC 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Mental well-being in people with and without diabetes: Results from the Health in Germany panel 2025
AU - L Neuperdt
AU - V Birgel
AU - Y Du
AU - C Cohrdes
AU - H Neuhauser
AU - C Heidemann
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/01
JO - The European Journal of Public Health
DO - 10.1093/eurpub/ckag169.1081
UR - https://doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/ckag169.1081
AB - Background: Diabetes mellitus is associated with an increased risk of mental health problems, but evidence on its association with positive mental health is limited. Maintaining good quality of life is a key treatment goal in the German ‘National Care Guideline for Type 2 Diabetes’, highlighting the relevance of well-being for successful diabetes management. This study examines the association between diabetes status and mental well-being in a nationwide sample of adults in Germany. Methods: Data is based on the 2025 annual survey from the panel Health in Germany of the Robert Koch Institute (cross-sectional analyses; 28,153 adults ≥18 years). Diabetes was defined as physician-diagnosed diabetes (excluding gestational diabetes only). Well-being was assessed using the World Health Organization-Five Well-Being Index (WHO-5; range 0-25). Age-adjusted means (M) and proportions of poor well-being (<13) are reported. Weighted prevalence ratios (PR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) for poor well-being were estimated using Poisson regression, adjusted for age (model 1) and additionally for sex, education, smoking, physical activity, and body mass index (model 2). Results: In 2025, the average mental well-being of people with diabetes was exactly at the cut-off for poor well-being (n = 2,580; M = 13.1, 95% CI 12.8-13.5), unlike that of people without diabetes (n = 25,573; 14.6, 14.5-14.7). People with diabetes had a higher prevalence of poor well-being than those without diabetes (43.9% vs. 33.8%). In age-adjusted model 1, diabetes was associated with a 1.3-fold (PR 1.30, 95% CI 1.20-1.41) higher prevalence of poor well-being, which was attenuated, but remained statistically significant in model 2 (1.19, 1.10-1.30). Conclusions: Almost half of the people with diabetes reported poor well-being, indicating a need for mental health conditions to be clarified. To track changes over time, continuous population-based monitoring of well-being among people with diabetes is necessary. Key messages: • The findings highlight the importance of considering subjective well-being as an integral part of needs-based diabetes care. • Further research is required to elucidate the determinants of well-being in people with diabetes.
SN - 1101-1262
SN - 1464-360X
ER -