Document Type
Article
Publication Date
1-27-2018
Department
Health Promotion and Behavioral Sciences
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to understand diabetes-related distress (DRD) characteristics and identify psychosocial support preferences of urban African American adults living with type 2 diabetes (T2DM).Methods
A 2-phase, mixed-methods sequential explanatory study design was used to gather data. In phase 1, a purposive sample of participants (N = 155) was recruited and asked to complete a written survey. The Diabetes Distress Scale (DDS17) was used to assess DRD, including subscales—emotional burden (EB), regimen distress (RD), interpersonal distress (ID), and physician distress (PD). In phase 2, a subset of phase 1 participants (N = 23) volunteered to attend 1 of 4 gender-stratified follow-up focus groups to contextualize the quantitative survey results.Results
Survey findings indicate that on average, participants had moderate levels of DRD (aggregate), RD, and EB but had low ID and PD. During follow-up focus groups, participants described RD and EB as their primary distress types and emphasized that clinicians should prioritize the mental health aspects of T2DM similarly to its physical aspects. Participants expressed a desire for culturally appropriate peer support groups as a psychosocial support resource for distress coping and specifically requested the development of gender-stratified groups and groups for young adults.Conclusions
Results support the need to screen for and address diabetes-related distress among African American patients with T2DM. Findings also inform the development of culturally appropriate psychosocial support resources to facilitate diabetes-related distress coping.Original Publication Information
Hood S, Irby-Shasanmi A, de Groot M, Martin E, LaJoie AS. Understanding Diabetes-Related Distress Characteristics and Psychosocial Support Preferences of Urban African American Adults Living With Type 2 Diabetes: A Mixed-Methods Study. The Diabetes Educator. 2018;44(2):144-157.
ThinkIR Citation
Hood, Sula Marie; Irby-Shasanmi, Amy; de Groot, Mary; Martin, Elissabeth; and LaJoie, Andrew S., "Understanding Diabetes-Related Distress Characteristics and Psychosocial Support Preferences of Urban African American Adults Living With Type 2 Diabetes: A Mixed-Methods Study" (2018). Faculty Scholarship. 789.
https://ir.library.louisville.edu/faculty/789
DOI
10.1177/0145721718754325
ORCID
0000-0001-5838-1481
Comments
© 2018 The Author(s)