Resources, Roadblocks and Turning Points: A Qualitative Study of American Indian/ Alaska Native Adults with Type 2 Diabetes

Abstract

Type 2 diabetes is a worldwide health problem that has reached epidemic proportions in some communities. Alaska Native and American Indian (AN/AI) people are disproportionately diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and incidence is increasing in many Alaska communities. Developing effective interventions requires understanding the social and psychological factors that impact effective management of diabetes, yet little is known about these factors in AN/AI communities. The objective of this study was to explore perceived psychosocial needs and barriers to management of diabetes among AN/AI adults with type 2 diabetes receiving care at the Alaska Native Primary Care Center (ANPCC) to inform programmatic efforts and potential future research. We conducted three focus groups and five interviews with 13 AN/AI adults with type 2 diabetes. Interview and focus group questions elicited perceived factors that affect management of diabetes, with a focus on the psychological, social and spiritual impacts of diabetes. Data were transcribed, coded and analyzed using thematic analysis. Key themes that emerged from these data included resources and roadblocks, as well as turning points in the trajectory of diabetes. Resources are factors with a perceived positive impact on management of diabetes, including: (1) knowledge and education about diabetes, (2) social support from other people with diabetes, (3) spirituality, and (4) self-efficacy. Roadblocks are factors with a perceived negative impact on management of diabetes and include: (1) self-reported lack of knowledge about nutrition and diet, (2) social difficulties caused by dietary restrictions, and (3) co-morbid medical conditions. Finally, turning points are experiences described by participants as having transformed roadblocks in resources and thus facilitating improvement in the management of diabetes. Future programmatic interventions to improve management of diabetes with this population should focus on improving dietary education and social support opportunities for newly-diagnosed individuals. Also, educational and support opportunities for family members and friends of individuals with diabetes should also be offered to facilitate understanding and support of their loved ones' management of diabetes, especially with regard to dietary restrictions in social settings. Efforts should also focus on strengthening newly-diagnosed individuals' self-efficacy and providing ongoing support as individuals progressively adjust to the illness over time and make behavioral changes. Future research with this population should explore the effects of family support groups and the possibility of Web-based or other alternative interventions for improving psychosocial health and management of diabetes efforts.

The influence of social networks on self-management support: a metasynthesis

“…Sharing knowledge and experiences within a personal community can provide people with a sense of not being alone and offers a valued opportunity to exchange gain and reinforce existing knowledge relevant to a condition [21,22,42,43,45]. The process of sharing also feeds into people’s internal capacity to cope with stress and, though not always explicitly acknowledged, can act to motivate lifestyle changes or involvement by adding new activities with which to self-manage [21-23].…”

“…Network influences can be both positive and negative [29,43]. However, overall in the literature there tends to be more positive network influences noted than negative ones, and more negative influences from family members than from friends [30].…”

“…Thus, network members sometimes adopt changes themselves not only deliberately and strategically, but also unreflexively through incremental change in their own routines. However, there are limitations to the possibility of collective effort and change as network members are obviously limited by their physical abilities or lack of knowledge [28,29,43]. Access to diverse network members is more likely to have a positive effect as it increases the likelihood that a network member with a similar level of physical capacity, interest, and willingness to make specific changes would be accessible.…”

Active-Learning Diabetes Simulation in an Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience to Develop Patient Empathy

“…13 Both techniques are well-accepted methods of qualitative research and have been used in studies regarding numerous disease states, including diabetes mellitus. [15][16][17][18][19][20] Interpretative phenomenology is an assessment technique used to gather qualitative data, 12 while thematic analysis is a technique used to analyze data obtained through qualitative research. [21][22][23] In thematic analysis, the researcher identifies patterns and themes in a subject's life and/or behavior, 14 which, in this study, consisted of a retrospective detailed investigation of participants' reflective writing about their active-learning diabetes simulation experience.…”

Activity and Occupational Demands of Type Two Diabetes: The Voice of Mexican-American Older Adults

“…Native-American participants had cultural guilt from passing bad genes to descendants and also found the practice of hiding T2DM to from family and friends to avoid worrying others. Shaw et al (2013) found Native-Americans had the motivation to make lifestyle changes that were purposive, in order to live to see grandchildren age.…”