{"title":"Being the supporter: an interpretative phenomenological analysis of the role of caregivers in the self-management of type 2 diabetes.","authors":"Lisa Newson, Jessica E Brown, Stephanie Dugdale","doi":"10.1080/08870446.2023.2231004","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><b>Objective:</b> Social support is key in improving the care and self-management of people living with Type 2 Diabetes (T2DM). Despite the benefits of social support, limited research has explored the experiences of family members acting as caregivers for those living with T2DM.<b>Design:</b> This qualitative study explored the pressures, attitudes, and views of immediate family caregivers supporting a relative's self-management of T2DM.<b>Methods:</b> Five online semi-structured interviews were conducted with caregivers and analyzed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Results: This analysis presents two superordinate themes: Values within caregivers and Support for the Supporters. Participants shared stories of coping and resilience in adopting a duty of care to support their family members. However, they also highlighted a lack of support from healthcare professionals, increasing feelings of personal responsibility and loneliness when caring for their family, including further pressures during the UK COVID-19 lockdown periods. Although caregivers do not have T2DM themselves, the burdens of supporting can have detrimental effects on the psychological health of these individuals.<b>Conclusion:</b> Healthcare professionals should consider the needs of caregivers, specifically improving psychological health and increasing understanding of T2DM, which may also improve health-related outcomes for the person living with T2DM.</p>","PeriodicalId":20718,"journal":{"name":"Psychology & Health","volume":" ","pages":"377-393"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4000,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Psychology & Health","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1080/08870446.2023.2231004","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2023/7/2 0:00:00","PubModel":"Epub","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"PSYCHOLOGY, MULTIDISCIPLINARY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Objective: Social support is key in improving the care and self-management of people living with Type 2 Diabetes (T2DM). Despite the benefits of social support, limited research has explored the experiences of family members acting as caregivers for those living with T2DM.Design: This qualitative study explored the pressures, attitudes, and views of immediate family caregivers supporting a relative's self-management of T2DM.Methods: Five online semi-structured interviews were conducted with caregivers and analyzed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Results: This analysis presents two superordinate themes: Values within caregivers and Support for the Supporters. Participants shared stories of coping and resilience in adopting a duty of care to support their family members. However, they also highlighted a lack of support from healthcare professionals, increasing feelings of personal responsibility and loneliness when caring for their family, including further pressures during the UK COVID-19 lockdown periods. Although caregivers do not have T2DM themselves, the burdens of supporting can have detrimental effects on the psychological health of these individuals.Conclusion: Healthcare professionals should consider the needs of caregivers, specifically improving psychological health and increasing understanding of T2DM, which may also improve health-related outcomes for the person living with T2DM.
期刊介绍:
Psychology & Health promotes the study and application of psychological approaches to health and illness. The contents include work on psychological aspects of physical illness, treatment processes and recovery; psychosocial factors in the aetiology of physical illnesses; health attitudes and behaviour, including prevention; the individual-health care system interface particularly communication and psychologically-based interventions. The journal publishes original research, and accepts not only papers describing rigorous empirical work, including meta-analyses, but also those outlining new psychological approaches and interventions in health-related fields.