Coping with Life Stressors Among Clients with Type II Diabetes in Kuwait
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- Category: Vol. 77, December 2009
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Coping with Life Stressors Among Clients with Type II Diabetes in Kuwait,GEHAN MOUSTAFA ISMAIL, HANAN EL-SAID AWAD, HELALIA SHALABE and MONA TALAT EL-NADY
Abstract
There is evidence indicating that diabetes in adults must be recognized as a significant threat to public health in rapidly developing countries. World Health Organization has pro-claimed it "a silent epidemic". Coping is considered one of the core concepts in health psychology and in the context of quality of life and is strongly associated with the regulation of emotions throughout the stress period. Two major types of coping were described; problem-focused and emotion-focused. The aim of this study was to investigate coping strategies with life stressors used among diabetic clients in Kuwait. A descriptive design was used in this study to achieve the stated aim. The study was carried out in the outpatient clinic in Mubarak hospital, Hawalli, Kuwait. A total of 100 clients suffering from diabetes mellitus type II were selected. Criteria for inclusion were: 1. Age from 35-55 years old, 2. Diabetes mellitus type II. 3. Those with severe physical co-morbidity were excluded from the study. Data were collected by using two tools: 1. Structured interviewing questionnaire sheet which was divided into two parts; a) Sociodemographic data as age, sex, marital status, educational level, employment status, family history and recreational activities, etc. b) History of diabetes, types of treatment, presence of diabetic foot and duration of diabetes etc. 2. Coping scale, composed of 25 questions constitute both problem-focused and emotion-focused strategies. Results revealed a statistical significant negative correlation between the client’s age and emotional-focused coping. A statistically significant relation was found between male, married, university educated and working clients and emotion-focused coping score. A statistical signif-icant relation was found between clients who are practicing recreational activities and the total scores of the coping scale. A statistical significant relation was found between clients with no family history of diabetes, have foot problem and those who are taking oral hypoglycemic medications and emotion-focused coping scores. Based on the results of the present study, the researchers recommend: Problem-focused strategies should be emphasized through nursing interventions especially among diabetic clients. Problem-focused strategies should be included in the health education program provided to diabetic clients. Additional researches are needed to identify strategies for increasing the use of more active forms of coping among patients with type 2 diabetes.