Psychosocial Aspects of Diabetes Care and Family-Integrated Diabetes Education

Abstract

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a complex, multifaceted condition, which has to be managed throughout the entire life of an individual diagnosed with it. It is complex and multifaceted because it requires a combination of various behavioural modifications. These modifications include changes in diet, the inclusion of an exercise programme in weekly/daily schedule, learning and practising new skills such as self-administration of insulin injection, drawing blood through finger-prick, among others. These changes, along with fear and anxiety about hypoglycaemia, place a lot of psychological stress on the person living with diabetes, since man is a bio psychosocial being. Psychosocial support from family members can reduce the burden associated with managing DM. However, the psychosocial aspect of DM care is often overlooked by healthcare workers and family members. The paper highlights the meaning of psychosocial support, the concept of man as a biopsychosocial being; the social and psychological effects of diabetes mellitus; ways of providing psychological support to the patient, importance of family members’ diabetes-education and theories that are associated with psychosocial care.