Meaning of illness and self-care in patients with type 2 diabetes. Diabetes Educ 2015 Jun;41(3):301-8
Date
02/26/2015Pubmed ID
25712226DOI
10.1177/0145721715572445Scopus ID
2-s2.0-84930578585 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site) 3 CitationsAbstract
PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to assess the relationship between meaning of illness, diabetes knowledge, self-care understanding, and behaviors in a group of individuals with type 2 diabetes.
METHODS: Patients diagnosed with type 2 diabetes completed questionnaires with measures for diabetes knowledge, self-care understanding, diet adherence, and control problems based on the validated Diabetes Care Profile, as well as a 5-factor Meaning of Illness Questionnaire (MIQ) measure. Linear regression investigated the associations between self-care outcomes and the 5 MIQ factors.
RESULTS: After adjustment for possible confounders, both diabetes self-care understanding and diet adherence were negatively and significantly associated with little effect of illness. Control problems were negatively associated with degree of stress/change in commitments. Diabetes knowledge was not significantly associated with meaning of illness.
CONCLUSION: Aspects of the meaning attributed to illness were significantly associated with self-care in patients with type 2 diabetes. Therefore, cognitive appraisals may explain variances observed in self-care understanding and behaviors. Based on these results, it is important to understand the negative effect that diabetes could have when promoting self-care understanding and diet adherence. In addition, it shows that helping patients address the stress and changing commitments that result from diabetes may help decrease the amount of diabetes control problems, even if there is little effect on diabetes understanding. Taking these differences into account may help in creating more personalized and effective self-care education plans.
Author List
Strom Williams J, Walker RJ, Lynch CP, Voronca D, Egede LEAuthors
Leonard E. Egede MD Center Director, Chief, Professor in the Medicine department at Medical College of WisconsinRebekah Walker PhD Associate Professor in the Medicine department at Medical College of Wisconsin
MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold
AgedDiabetes Mellitus, Type 2
Diet, Diabetic
Female
Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
Humans
Linear Models
Male
Middle Aged
Patient Compliance
Self Care
Stress, Psychological
Surveys and Questionnaires
