ABSTRACT
One reason why diabetes has become a target of research in health psychology is because understanding patients’ perspectives on their disease should lead to ways to foster better self-management (Cox & Gonder-Frederick, 1992). Although health-care providers play a vital role, the responsibility for diabetes management ultimately rests with the patient. People with diabetes, not surprisingly, often find the regimen burdensome and frustrating (Raymond, 1992). Research on the patient’s perspective has studied patients’ beliefs and feelings about their disease from a variety of different theoretical perspectives such as the health belief model (e.g., Bond, Aiken & Somerville, 1992), social learning theory (e.g., Glasgow, 1995) and ethnography (e.g., Peyrot, McMurry & Hedges, 1987). Although not explicitly used by many investigators of diabetes self-management, Leventhal’s self-regulation model (e.g., Leventhal, Nerenz & Steele, 1984) provides a useful framework for presenting studies focusing on patients’ beliefs and emotions about diabetes and the links between these cognitions and self-management behaviours. Before examining the research on patients’ representations, this chapter begins by providing some background information on the nature of diabetes and its management.
