Psychosocial Determinant of Diabetes Management among Individuals with Type 2 Diabetes: A Focus group discussion

Abstract

Background: Diabetes distress, poor self-care, and impaired coping are the common psychological and behavioral issues that have always been known to complicate the management of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Mindfulness-based therapies, especially Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), have demonstrated potential to alter these outcomes although qualitative data are needed to supplement quantitative data.

Aim: The study has investigated the attitudes of the stakeholders regarding the psychological and behavioral impact of T2DM and the applicability of mindfulness-based interventions.

Method: A purposively selected sample size of 6 participants including one doctor, dietitian, physiotherapist, clinical psychologist, patient with T2DM, and caregiver participated in a qualitative focus group discussion. The FGD guide was prepared based on searching literature systematically and attended the top themes of distress, self-care, coping, psychological flexibility, and social support. The two-hour meeting took place online, was recorded, and transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using themes.

Findings: Emotional distress, irregular self-care practices, social support were observed to have displayed key difficulties associated with them. The participants also pointed to the usefulness of mindfulness and ACT-derived interventions in improving coping, psychological flexibility, as well as adjusting towards following self-care regimes, with a need to extend such intervention models to take into account the cultural specifics of the targeted population.

Conclusion: Mindfulness-informed interventions, and in particular, ACT-based intervention programs, have a potential to positively affect psychological and behavioral outcomes of T2DM illness management through mitigating distress and improving self-care and support systems.