The Emotions of Adults with Diabetes

Abstract

Diabetes is a disease with menacing complications and demanding treatment regimes that confront those afflicted throughout their lives. Emotions are common responses to disease and illness. Unfortunately, few studies explore the emotions adults experience while living with diabetes. This qualitative study sought to identify the ordinary (non-pathological) emotions, specify their sources (causes, stimuli), and the effect of race on these experiences. A total of 76 emotions from 38 different sources were described by 34 subjects. Race influenced both the quality and quantity of the emotions. The length of time with diabetes, the number of complications reported, and the subjects' rating for diabetes self-management success also influenced emotion experiences.

Key Words:

• Diabetes
• chronic disease
• emotion
• race
• psychological adjustment