A qualitative study of middle to older adults, concerning the impact of living and coping with Type 2 Diabetes

Name of Study

A qualitative study of middle to older adults, concerning the impact of living and coping with Type 2 Diabetes.

Purpose of Study

Thank you for considering participating in this project. The research project aims to interview individuals in middle to older adulthood (ages 45 to 65) on their experience of living with and coping with Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The design of this study specifically seeks to understand the lived experiences of this demographic concerning the concept of diabetes distress. Diabetes distress is defined as “significant negative psychological reactions to the stress of demanding activities for managing diabetes and is a broader emotional experience rather than the presence of specific symptoms” (Wang et al., 2017) and affects approximately 18% of those diagnosed with T2DM (Fisher et al., 2008). This is an area which has received little research in the Irish context, despite that fact that diabetes is a growing health concern here.

As such, this project aims to understand how the concept of diabetes distress plays out in the Irish context and to capture the reality of living and coping with T2DM in middle to older adulthood, in order to contribute to the growing body of research on diabetes distress and its implications for future research and informing clinical practice. In particular, this project will look at the effects diabetes distress on adults with type 2 diabetes who are being treated using insulin injections.

Type of Study (observational/exploratory etc.)

Qualitative, interview based project.

Are you recruiting participants for this trial?

Yes

Geographical location of study

Study will take place online, participants may be residing anywhere in Ireland.

Who can take part?

Adults aged between 45 and 65 who have been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes and are insulin-dependent for at least one year.

What will the participants be asked to do?

Participants will be asked to complete a short screening questionnaire (less than 5 minutes) to ensure they are eligible for the study.

If suitable, participants will be invited to attend an online interview (30-45 minutes in duration) to discuss how managing their diabetes impacts their daily life. In particular, they will be asked questions relating to the concept of diabetes distress in four domains; physician distress, emotional burden, regimen distress and interpersonal distress.

Recruitment Start Date

25/01/2021

Recruitment Finish Date

25/02/2021

Study Duration

1 Month

This study is funded by:

This studied is not funded, it is being undertaken for a Final Year Project by a third year student of Applied Psychology (University College Cork). It has received ethical approval by the School of Applied Psychology Ethics Committee and is carried out under the supervision of Dr Audrey Dunn Galvin (UCC).

For further information contact:

Abigail Hart

Phone

0863353100

Email

[email protected]