Qualitative Analysis of the Resilience of Adult Japanese Patients with Type 1 Diabetes.

BACKGROUND: Resilience strategies are what we use to avoid and recover from error. In this study, we used the grounded theory approach to evaluate the resilience of Japanese patients with Type 1 diabetes.

METHODS: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 adults with Type 1 diabetes. Then, using grounded theory, we created a new model of resilience in this population.

RESULTS: The results suggested a core category, "to make progress along the resilience path," comprising seven concepts classified into three stages. These seven concepts were as follows: "suffering from treatment," "damaged trust as a person," "persistence of afflictions," "awareness of supporters," "joy to be kept alive by insulin," "actively seeking a future," "being able to manage by oneself." Individuals with Type 1 diabetes used difficult experiences to motivate their resilience and to improve their situation. Additionally, resilience was an important contributor to these individuals' beliefs in their ability to face difficulties, to accept their illness and insulin therapy, and to control their illness. Resilience was also important to these individuals' faith in the future and in medical care. Our results are applicable to clinical care and research, such as the development of preventive interventions aimed at building or strengthening protective skills related to diabetes and its management.

CONCLUSION: Ultimately, our goal is to equip adults with Type 1 diabetes with the tools to obtain sufficient behavioral and health-related resilience. Furthermore, these results highlight that maintaining resilience-related coping skills is important for adults and indicate that different psychological processes underlie resilience across the lifespan.