The purpose of the study reported in this paper was to describe adherence to self-care, perceived difficulties and social support in a group of adult patients (n = 213) with insulin-treated diabetes from two outpatient clinics in Northern Finland. Data were collected by questionnaire. The instruments were developed to measure adherence to self-care, difficulties in self-care and social support. The response rate was 76%. One-way ANOVA, logistic regression analysis, contingency and Pearson's correlation coefficients were used in the statistical analysis. A fifth of the respondents were neglecting their self-care. The others undertook flexible, regimen-adherent or self-planned self-care. The subjects had no difficulties with insulin treatment, but had more problems with other aspects of self-care. Poor metabolic control, smoking and living alone predicted neglect of self-care, but if patients had support from family and friends, living alone was not a predictor of neglect of self-care. Those with poor metabolic control perceived themselves as getting peer support from other persons with diabetes.
The findings demonstrated that adherence to self-care does not always lead to good metabolic control, but neglect of self-care is likely to lead to poor metabolic control.
The study indicated that even if the health status of the care recipient dramatically worsened, the family caregiver's experiences of caregiving became more positive. This is because family caregiving was perceived to be worthwhile, most family caregivers had a close relationship with the person they cared for and they received support from their family. Interventions that focus on family caregivers' positive experiences of caregiving would be important in protecting them from the negative consequences of caregiving.
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