Adults Living with Type 1 Diabetes, Reflections of their Youth: A Phenomenological Study.

Type 1 diabetes is a chronic medical condition. Effective illness management requires numerous, continuous self-care procedures to ensure a healthy life free of complications. This study asks, what do adults with type 1 diabetes recall about living with a chronic health condition during their youth? By interviewing adults about the different types of relationships and the experiences they had in their youth, the research examines if relationships influence diabetes self-care. Using a phenomenological approached called the Vancouver School of Phenomenology, the researcher drew themes from nine participant interviews. These include: diabetes knowledge, the impacts of diabetes, constructive and deconstructive factors in relationships, and self-awareness and identity in youth and adults with type 1 diabetes. In the sample, this particular composition of participants displayed characteristics that were not consistent with the majority of literature findings regarding persons living with type 1 diabetes. As a result, the data in this study revealed that relationships, and being highly motivated, organized, capable, cognitively intact and functional within the realities of daily life plays a critical role in diabetes self-care and this role changes and evolves over time.