title: Spirituality in African Americans with diabetes: self-management through a relationship with God.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to develop a theoretical model about how the spirituality of African Americans affects their self-management of diabetes. The sample consisted of 29 African American men and women, ages 40 to 75, with type 2 diabetes. The authors used a grounded theory design and collected data using minimally structured interviews. The method of analysis was constant comparison. The core concept identified was Self-Management Through a Relationship With God. Participants fell into one of three typologies: (a) Relationship and Responsibility: God Is in Background; (b) Relationship and Responsibility: God Is in Forefront: (c) Relationship and Relinquishing of Self-Management: God Is Healer. These typologies varied according to how participants viewed their relationship with God and the impact of this relationship on their self-management. The spirituality of these African Americans was an important factor that influenced the self-management of their diabetes.
authors.affiliation: University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, USA.
authors.forename: Rebecca L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Polzer
authors.forename: Margaret S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Miles
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology*; D000368:Aged; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008960:Models, Psychological; D033262:Narration; D009657:North Carolina; D033303:Protestantism; D012069:Religion and Psychology; D012648:Self Care / Q000523:psychology*; D029181:Spirituality