Social Pathways in the Comorbidity between Type 2 Diabetes and Mental Health Concerns in a Pilot Study of Urban Middle- and Upper-Class Indian Women

Type 2 Diabetes and Mental Health

Bibliographic Data

ID2277604
AuthorsL J Weaver (0000-0001-8104-0511, Emory University), Craig Hadley (0000-0001-8120-6665, Emory University)
Year2011
Volume39
Issue2
Pages211-225
Publication date2011-06-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueEthos (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0091-2131 • E-ISSN: 1548-1352
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/j.1548-1352.2011.01185.x
OpenAlexW1519776286
LanguageEN
Citations received26
References cited39

This report describes preliminary findings about the connections between type 2 diabetes, mental health, and normative social roles among women living in Delhi, India. We conducted freelist interviews with 62 diabetic and nondiabetic women about women's roles, perceptions of diabetes, and “tension,” a common Hindi-language idiom used to express stress. Using the freelist results, we produced and then administered a questionnaire to a pilot sample of 33 diabetic women. Among the diabetic women, physical symptoms of diabetes predicted higher biomedical anxiety and “tension,” whereas difficulties achieving gender-specific social roles predicted higher biomedical depression. We conclude that both physical symptoms of diabetes and difficulties achieving socially important roles contribute to poor mental health among these diabetic women; further research will clarify the relationships among depression, anxiety, “tension,” and women's physically and socially mediated experiences of diabetes

Anxiety · Comorbidity · Depression (economics) · Diabetes mellitus · Mental health · Normative · Psychiatry · Social support · Type 2 diabetes · Clinical Psychology · Diabetes Management and Education · Diabetes, Cardiovascular Risks, and Lipoproteins · Medicine · Obesity and Health Practices · Psychology · Social Psychology · Gerontology