"Doing the program, our weight went down, our A1Cs went down": Benefits of a family diabetes self-management program for persons with diabetes and their support persons.

Abstract

Diabetes is a serious, prevalent chronic disease affecting more than 14.7% of US adults, and most of these have type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). A family diabetes self-management education and support (FDSMES) approach has been shown to benefit persons with diabetes (PWDs); however, gaps remain in the literature concerning the effects of FDSMES on communal coping, interpersonal relationships, and potential beneficial health effects for support persons (SPs). To address gaps in the literature, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 12 dyads, consisting of a PWD and their self-identified support person (SP), assigned to the FDSMES arm and one PWD interviewed individually (n = 25). Our qualitative analysis identified emergent themes including: increased understanding and empathy among SPs, perceived improvements in quality and self-efficacy of SPs' supportive behaviors, improved PWD-SP relationships, and health benefits for both the PWD and SP. Based on our findings, greater attention needs to be paid to the benefits of FDSMES for SP in addition to the traditional PWD-focused outcomes, as health behaviors are often shared by SP. Future research and evaluation of FDSMES programs should include measures of the benefits of FDSMES interventions for SPs.