Type 2 diabetes self-management: spirituality, coping and responsibility

Abstract

Background: In England, although The National Institute of Health and Care Excellence recommends that patients’ religious beliefs should be incorporated into individual healthcare plans, these components are often neglected in diabetes management care plans. A literature review identified a paucity of research regarding how the spirituality of British people may influence their approach to their self-management of type 2 diabetes (T2D). Aims: To explore how the spirituality of a small group of adults with T2D, living in England, influenced their coping strategies and self-management of diet and exercise. Methods: Biographic Narrative Interpretive Method of two interviews per participant and thematic analysis for data interrogation (n = 8). Data as glycated haemoglobin, living situation, age, length of time since T2D diagnosis, body mass index and diabetic medicines contextualised the interview data. Results: Participants’ spirituality, health beliefs, coping and sense of responsibility for T2D self-management overlapped in complex layers. Three themes were generated: (a) spirituality influences expectations in life; (b) beliefs influence coping styles of diabetes self-management; and (c) responsibility influences diabetes self-management. A model was created to assist nurses in addressing these components. Conclusion: Nurses should consider how patients’ self-management of T2D may be influenced by their spirituality, health beliefs, coping and sense of responsibility.