Psychosocial Determinant of Diabetes Management among Individuals with Type 2 Diabetes: A Focus group discussion

Background: Diabetes distress, poor self care, and impaired coping are the common psychological and behavioral issues that have always been known to complicate the management of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Mindfulness-based therapies, especially Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), have demonstrated potential to alter these outcomes although qualitative data are needed to supplement quantitative data. Aim The study has investigated the attitudes of the stakeholders regarding the psychological and behavioral impact of T2DM and the applicability of mindfulness based interventions. Method A purposively selected sample size of 6 participants including one doctor, dietitian, physiotherapist, clinical psychologist, patient with T2DM, and caregiver participated in a qualitative focus group discussion. The FGD guide was prepared based on searching literature systematically and attended the top themes of distress, self-care, coping, psychological flexibility, and social support. The two hour meeting took place online, was recorded, and transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using themes. Findings Emotional distress, irregular self-care practices, social support were observed to have displayed key difficulties associated with them. The participants also pointed to the usefulness of mindfulness and ACT derived interventions in improving coping, psychological flexibility, as well as adjusting towards following self care regimes, with a need to extend such intervention models to take into account the cultural specifics of the targeted population. Conclusion Mindfulness-informed interventions, and in particular, ACT based intervention programs, have a potential to positively affect psychological and behavioral outcomes of T2DM illness management through mitigating distress and improving self care and support systems.