ACTA FAC MED NAISS 2021;38(4):380-389 |
UDC:616.379-008.64-07(55)
Original article
Shocked to Happy: Experiences of Iranian Diabetics in Reaction to the
Bad News of the Diagnosis
Hossein Namdar Areshtanab1,
Hossein Karimi Moonaghi2, Maryam Vahidi3,
1Department
of Mental Health and Psychiatric Nursing, Nursing and Midwifery Faculty,
SUMMARY
Diagnosis of a chronic disease like type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is
frequently shocking for patients, which influences their lives. Getting aware of
bad news such as obtaining a chronic illness diagnosis is a sensitive issue in
patients’ lives. Conversely, reactions to the reception of a diagnosis of
diabetes are often varied for a few reasons. To manage the diseases through care
planning, the identification and modification of the causes of various reactions
are necessary. The aim of the present survey was to investigate the reaction of
diabetics to the reception of diabetes diagnosis and its possible reasons. In
this qualitative study, in-depth interviews were used. Furthermore, traditional
content analysis of semi-structured interviews was conducted using a qualitative
strategy with 20 individuals with type 2 diabetes. The purposeful sampling
approach was employed for recruiting the participants. Eleven male and nine
female participants having type 2 diabetes had been transferred to the diabetes
association of Iran for receiving consulting assistance in the areas of
nutrition, psychology, and health care. Four categories of reactions have arisen
from the investigation including behavioral, emotional, contextual, and
cognitive reactions. Reactions to the prognosis of diabetes may be different for
some reasons. The findings of the present investigation may be employed by
health care providers to obtain a more comprehensive understanding of unusual
and usual reactions, their causes, and the context in the early years after the
diagnosis and planning care programs for disease management.