title: Meaning of illness and self-care in patients with type 2 diabetes.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to assess the relationship between meaning of illness, diabetes knowledge, self-care understanding, and behaviors in a group of individuals with type 2 diabetes.
  
  
  
  Patients diagnosed with type 2 diabetes completed questionnaires with measures for diabetes knowledge, self-care understanding, diet adherence, and control problems based on the validated Diabetes Care Profile, as well as a 5-factor Meaning of Illness Questionnaire (MIQ) measure. Linear regression investigated the associations between self-care outcomes and the 5 MIQ factors.
  
  
  
  After adjustment for possible confounders, both diabetes self-care understanding and diet adherence were negatively and significantly associated with little effect of illness. Control problems were negatively associated with degree of stress/change in commitments. Diabetes knowledge was not significantly associated with meaning of illness.
  
  
  
  Aspects of the meaning attributed to illness were significantly associated with self-care in patients with type 2 diabetes. Therefore, cognitive appraisals may explain variances observed in self-care understanding and behaviors. Based on these results, it is important to understand the negative effect that diabetes could have when promoting self-care understanding and diet adherence. In addition, it shows that helping patients address the stress and changing commitments that result from diabetes may help decrease the amount of diabetes control problems, even if there is little effect on diabetes understanding. Taking these differences into account may help in creating more personalized and effective self-care education plans.
authors.affiliation: Center for Health Disparities Research, Department of Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina (Dr Strom Williams, Dr Walker, Dr Lynch, Ms Voronca, Dr Egede)|Department of Medicine, Division of General Internal Medicine and Geriatrics, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina (Dr Strom Williams, Dr Lynch, Dr Egede)
authors.forename: Joni
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Strom Williams
authors.affiliation: Center for Health Disparities Research, Department of Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina (Dr Strom Williams, Dr Walker, Dr Lynch, Ms Voronca, Dr Egede)|Health Equity and Rural Outreach Innovation Center (HEROIC), Ralph H. Johnson Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Charleston, South Carolina (Dr Walker, Dr Lynch, Dr Egede)
authors.forename: Rebekah J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Walker
authors.affiliation: Center for Health Disparities Research, Department of Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina (Dr Strom Williams, Dr Walker, Dr Lynch, Ms Voronca, Dr Egede)|Department of Medicine, Division of General Internal Medicine and Geriatrics, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina (Dr Strom Williams, Dr Lynch, Dr Egede)|Health Equity and Rural Outreach Innovation Center (HEROIC), Ralph H. Johnson Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Charleston, South Carolina (Dr Walker, Dr Lynch, Dr Egede)
authors.forename: Cheryl P
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Lynch
authors.affiliation: Center for Health Disparities Research, Department of Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina (Dr Strom Williams, Dr Walker, Dr Lynch, Ms Voronca, Dr Egede)
authors.forename: Delia
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Voronca
authors.affiliation: Center for Health Disparities Research, Department of Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina (Dr Strom Williams, Dr Walker, Dr Lynch, Ms Voronca, Dr Egede)|Department of Medicine, Division of General Internal Medicine and Geriatrics, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina (Dr Strom Williams, Dr Lynch, Dr Egede)|Health Equity and Rural Outreach Innovation Center (HEROIC), Ralph H. Johnson Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Charleston, South Carolina (Dr Walker, Dr Lynch, Dr Egede)
authors.forename: Leonard E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Egede
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000523:psychology*; D003927:Diet, Diabetic / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010349:Patient Compliance; D012648:Self Care / Q000523:psychology*; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires