Socio-psychological problems of patients with late adolescent onset type 1 diabetes--analysis by qualitative research--.
OBJECTIVE
To identify the serious emotional impacts as socio-psychological problems encountered by patients with late adolescent onset type 1 diabetes since their disease onset.


METHODS
Thirteen patients (aged 21-35 years) with type 1 diabetes, onset age from 17 to 28, were interviewed. To extract their disturbing experiences from the content of the interviews, a qualitative analysis was carried out. We categorized their experiences as socio-psychological problems.


RESULTS
Twenty-two items of socio-psychological problems which posed obstacles to the control of diabetes were found. Problems with particularly strong impacts included a fulminant crisis prior to hospitalization; surprise and shock of patients themselves and family members upon diagnosis; unacceptable feelings against insulin injections and diabetes; difficulty and anxiety over frequent and unexpected occurrences of hypoglycemia; noncompliance with diet therapy; stress of disclosing the disease to fiancés and their parents; no understanding of or knowledge about diabetes on the part of people around them; restricted range in occupation selection, travel and daily life; existence of stigma; no place for performing insulin injections; resistant or negative feelings against disclosing to others that they had diabetes; acceptance of the disease using various emotional coping behaviors.


CONCLUSIONS
These results suggest that for patients with such problems we should seek a more effective sort of intervention to improve their quality of life (QOL).
Sato
Eiko
E
Aichi Prefectural College of Nursing & Health, Nagoya, Japan.
Ohsawa
Isao
I
Kataoka
Jun
J
Miwa
Miki
M
Tsukagoshi
Fumie
F
Sato
Juichi
J
Oshida
Yoshiharu
Y
Sato
Yuzo
Y
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008297:Male; D011788:Quality of Life; D012940:Social Problems; D013315:Stress, Psychological; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires