Abstract
This study examined how aspects of culture, social support, isolation, and loneliness are perceived as influences in chronic illness management by pre-diabetic (Glycated hemoglobin A1c levels between 5.7 and 6.4) or Type 2 diabetic patients (A1c levels between 6.4 and 8). Twenty-eight Middle Eastern immigrants in the greater Philadelphia area were interviewed using a semi-structured approach. Results were consistent with other research which suggests that patients benefit from family and community support in the management of their illness. However, findings also suggest that even in the presence of strong family and social support, patients report increased feelings of isolation and loneliness because they have to manage a complex illness that requires many lifestyle changes. For immigrant suffering from chronic illnesses, social gatherings, especially those that center on the consumption of traditional ethnic food, can be highly stressful because they need to avoid such foods as part of their daily treatment regimen. The results of this study have significant implications for patients, physicians, and psychologists who can benefit from an increased sensitivity to patients’ challenges in illness management by understanding how cultural factors affect compliance in diabetes treatment regimens.
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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. The research project was approved by the Institutional Review Board of West Chester University of Pennsylvania, West Chester, PA 19383.
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McConatha, J.T., Kumar, V.K., Raymond, E. et al. Cultural Dimensions of Diabetes Management: a Qualitative Study of Middle Eastern Immigrants in the U.S.. J Cross Cult Gerontol 35, 85–98 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10823-019-09383-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10823-019-09383-7