Importance of social support in diabetes care

Abstract

Background and Objectives:Diabetes is one of the major concerns in the third millennium, affecting more people every day. The prevalence of this disease in Iran is reported to be high (about 7.7%). The most important method to control this disease and prevent its complications is self-care. According to various studies, this method has not found its proper place among patients with diabetes due to several reasons. The present study was aimed at determining the relationship between social support, especially family support, and self-care behavior of diabetes patients.Materials and Methods:This study was a narrative review in which the relevant papers of cross-sectional, cohort, clinical trial, and systematic review designs were selected using databases and scientific search engines such as PubMed, ProQuest, SCOPUS, and Elsevier, with the keywords diabetes, social support, and self-care. Moreover, Persian papers were selected from MEDLAB and IRANMEDEX databases and through searching the websites of original research papers published in Iran. All the papers published from 1990 to 2011 were reviewed.Results:The results of the study indicated that the status of self-care and social support in patients with diabetes was not favorable. All the studied papers showed that there was a positive relationship between social support and self-care behavior. Also, some studies pointed to the positive effect of social support, especially family support and more specifically support from the spouse, on controlling blood sugar level and HbA1c.Conclusion:As social support can predict the health promoting behavior, this concept is also capable of predicting self-care behavior of patients with diabetes. Therefore, getting the family members, especially the spouse, involved in self-care behavior can be of significant importance in providing health care to patients with diabetes.

COVID-19-specific diabetes worries amongst diabetic patients: The role of social support and other co-variates

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“Perceived stress” and its associated factors among diabetic patients receiving care from a rural tertiary health care center in South India

“…This highlights the role of family and also the need for improvement of the work environment. [ 33 ]…”

The invisible support networks of doctoral candidates: What acknowledgement sections of doctoral theses reveal

“…Our methodology for the present study drew on previous work related to social support theory as applied in different human and social contexts (Turner 1981;Moos and Mitchell 1982;Lakey, Hain and Van Vleet 2010;Thoits 2011;Jairam and Kahl 2012;Rad et al 2013). This lens also applied to considering important functions primarily performed by "significant others" and "secondary group members" (Thoits 2011).…”

“…This theoretical lens is often applied in considering support functions performed by primary and secondary group members. Literature indicates that support functions are mostly associated with an individual's survival, "getting back on track", rehabilitation, acquiring new knowledge, and learning new skills and behaviours related to well-being (Turner 1981;Moos and Mitchell 1982;Lakey, Hain, and Van Vleet 2010;Thoits 2011;Jairam and Kahl 2012;Rad et al 2013).…”