If you or a loved one have recently been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, you might be wondering what to do next in this critical health transition. 

How do you learn what, how, and when to eat? What changes do you have to make in your lives? And what kind of help might you need to successfully move forward in adapting to your new reality?

Research shows that people newly diagnosed with diabetes experience five challenges during this health transition: family absence, distrust in the medical field, insufficient food varieties, lack of financial resources, and being subjected to stereotypes. 

Lack of Family Acknowledgement of Illness 

The first challenge that people with type 2 diabetes face is family absence. Familial relationships can affect diabetics' health management. According to Mostafavi (2021), a fear patients face is that their family will not pay any attention to the type 2 diabetic or the family will ignore the diagnosis of type 2 diabetes. When the family does not acknowledge the diagnosis of type 2 diabetes, it affects the emotional well-being and motivation of the person with type 2 diabetes. The lack of motivation causes type 2 diabetics to not follow the medical advice provided by the doctors. 

Distrust in the Medical Field 

Another challenge? Some people with type 2 diabetes may have a distrust in the medical field. Mostafavi (2021) highlights that patients did not trust the scientific process (i.e., not trusting the medications, side effects, or even the doctors). They were worried about the medical knowledge that the doctor had, including fear of not knowing if healthcare providers have the knowledge to manage their diabetes. People with type 2 diabetes are also concerned about the side effects of the medications and how they would affect the kidney and liver. 

Insufficient Food Variety 

Another challenge people with type 2 diabetes face are not having enough food options or struggling with learning new eating habits. As noted by Maghsoudi (2023), food often contains a lot of salt and sugar. When food contains large amounts of salt and sugar, it makes it difficult for diabetics to find healthier options they can eat.  

Lack of Financial Resources 

Unquestionably, a challenge people face is a lack of financial resources. Gopalan (2022) notes that patients will sacrifice themselves and their needs so their children can have whatever is necessary to survive. Mostafavi (2021) suggests that when someone in a family has type 2 diabetes, it causes financial problems for the family. The price of medications can be extremely expensive, to the point where patients sometimes do not want to be bothered with the medications because of other pressing expenses.

Navigating Illness Stereotypes 

Another challenge people face is being subjected to stereotypes. According to Dore (2024), some of the stereotypes of patients with Type 2 diabetes include people who eat fast food are the ones who get diabetes and that all fat people will die at the age of 50 anyways. Although people relate to stereotypes, it does not mean that stereotypes are correct for everyone and every situation. The stereotype can be true for some people. but not be true for others. 

Social support for people with type 2 diabetes

Based on the challenges noted above, there is evidence that patients impacted by type 2 diabetes have social support needs. 

Social support can be defined as the care individuals receive from their social network, including physical and emotional support. 

Social support can take diverse forms, including emotional, esteem, informational, tangible, and network support. 

• Emotional support occurs when messages from a support provider communicate care, concern, and sympathy. 
• Esteem support messages reassure someone of their worth and provide a person with confidence. 
• Informational support messages communicate advice or details about something. 
• Tangible support can be money, something physical, an intervention, or any material aid. 
• Network support messages communicate a connection or belonging. 

Here’s what those types of support can look like:

People who experience a lack of family acknowledgement of Type 2 diabetes are likely to need emotional and esteem support. The family's lack of support causes emotional distress in people with diabetes, as they do not receive care or sympathy from the ones closest to them. The lack of family acknowledging Type 2 Diabetes can lead to a feeling of isolation due to the lack of a sense of connection and belonging that familial network support provides. 

People who distrust the medical field are more likely to need informational support. Someone with distrust in the medical field would need information about the credentials of the doctors they are seeing or the side effects of the medications they are taking. 

People who experience insufficient food varieties would find it useful to receive informational and tangible support. The diabetic could use advice on what foods they can eat. In terms of tangible support, people with type 2 diabetes could use someone to provide them with foods that can be eaten by a diabetic. 

People who experience financial issues are likely to need tangible support; this means they could use some support with their finances. A way to help patients who lack financial support is to raise donations for them or ask people to lend them some money.

People who experience stereotyping often benefit from esteem and network support. Patients need someone to reassure them that they do not fit stereotypes. Connections and understanding help people prove they are not like the stereotypes. As people get to know the person with the diagnosis, they can truthfully reassure them that the stereotype does not describe them. 

Helpful Social Support for Individuals Navigating Type 2 Diabetes 

Based on the reports of people who have experience with Type 2 diabetes, it is evident that this population finds support networks from social media, family participation, information from doctors, location of parks. 

Access to Illness Community 

A helpful form of support reported by persons with type 2 diabetes is having access to the illness community. In a study by Carrier (2021), having access to an illness community online was helpful in many ways, including people sharing similar experiences, sharing advice, and helping people who are newly diagnosed. Online support group members become mentors by providing advice and encouragement about dealing with Type 2 diabetes

Family Participation 

Another helpful form of social support for people with type 2 diabetes is having family members participate in making lifestyle accommodations, as well. 

Family participation in the diet changes and exercises shows network support, emotional support, and esteem support. This familial support shows care for the person with diabetes, shows that they have confidence in the person with diabetes to follow the meal or exercise plans, and shows that the person with diabetes has a connection and still belongs with the rest of the family.

As noted by Gopalan (2022), one family made the same changes to their life as their parent, including making changes to their style and eating habits. Some of the changes include watering down juices and making the same meal for everyone. 

Information provided by Doctors 

The next type of helpful support is the information provided by a doctor. According to the findings of Maghsoudi (2023), doctors provide dietary recommendations and training that patients are able to follow. The more knowledge someone has, the more comfortable they feel in controlling their diabetes. 

Location of Parks 

A helpful form of social support is having physical access to outdoor spaces, specifically, parks. As noted by Maghsoudi (2023), parks in neighborhoods provide areas for people to work out. It provides access to workout equipment that is easily accessible and easy to use. The park’s location is especially important for people with diabetes, as it provides a safe space for diabetics to exercise. When parks are located in every neighborhood, people are more likely to use them. Local parks provide tangible support, as the park is a physical place that supports families and patients with type 2 diabetes. 

A person’s health transition of adjusting to life with type 2 diabetes can be challenging. There are many ways that you can help support them. Research shows that there is great support impact by discussing information you both find; joining online support groups for resources and connection; including family members in changing for a more healthful life, and getting outside and exercising together. 

Ashley currently attends Coe College and is expected to graduate in 2027. She is majoring in Communications and Social and Criminal Justice. She is also earning a minor in Sociology. She plays in the Band and Jazz Band for Coe. She is a member of the sorority Alpha Omicron Pi (AOII). She is currently the Vice President of Membership Recruitment for her chapter, Alpha Theta, and was the Director of Philanthropy for the 2023-24 school year.

References 
Carrier, M. A., & Beverly, E. A. (2021). Focus on the positive: A qualitative study of positive experiences living with type 1 or type 2 diabetes. Clinical Diabetes, 39(2), 176–187. https://doi.org/10.2337/cd20-0082 
Doré, A., Grammes, J., Egri, E., Priesterroth, L., Frenzel, S. B., Spörkel, O., & Kubiak, T. (2024). Identification with Characters of a National Narrative Health Communication Campaign Targeting Type 2 Diabetes. Health Communication, 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2024.2378256 
Gopalan, A., Blatchins, M. A., Xu, K. K., Altschuler, A., Marshall, C. J., Hessler, D. M., Fernandez, A., & Grant, R. W. (2022). All in the Family: A Qualitative Study of the Early Experiences of Adults with Younger Onset Type 2 Diabetes. The Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine, 35(2), 341–351. https://doi.org/10.3122/jabfm.2022.02.210223 
Mostafavi, F., Alavijeh, F. Z., Salahshouri, A., & Mahaki, B. (2021). The psychosocial barriers to medication adherence of patients with type 2 diabetes: A qualitative study. BioPsychoSocial Medicine, 15(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13030-020-00202-x 
Zahra Maghsoudi, Sadeghi, A., Khodayar Oshvandi, Ebadi, A., & Leili Tapak. (2023). Treatment adherence and associated factors in older people with type 2 diabetes: A qualitative study. Nursing Open, 10(5578–5588). https://doi.org/10.1002/nop2.1801