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Range of coping strategies found in patients with vision loss from diabetes
Researchers analyzed and classified the coping strategies of patients with vision loss related to diabetic retinopathy and diabetic macular edema.
A variety of ways to cope were found, some of which were active, effective strategies that helped improve functioning and decrease distress. Other strategies, perhaps effective in providing short-term relief, were at risk of making the problem worse in the long term.
Fifty-seven patients were recruited, and detailed information on how they cope with vision loss both practically and emotionally was collected in the course of focus groups or interviews. Coping strategies were primarily problem-focused and showed a variety of attitudes, from problem-solving to passive coping by disengaging from action and withdrawing socially, from continuing with daily tasks as usual to changing habits and taking interest in novel and more achievable activities.
Emotion-regulation strategies ranged from acceptance by living day-by-day to distraction by keeping the mind occupied with computer games and movies, to avoidance and denial. Some patients adopted health-focused behaviors such as good diet, rest and exercise, while others used smoking, alcohol and anti-depressant drugs as a means of acceptance. Some patients motivated themselves to convert their suffering into a meaningful learning experience by helping other sufferers, engaging in meaningful activities and mindfulness practices that helped them focus nonjudgmentally on the present moment.
These findings, the authors noted, “may assist researchers to develop models of adjustment to diabetic retinopathy/diabetic macular edema-related vision loss and psychosocial/educational interventions focused on adaptation.”
– by Michela Cimberle
Disclosure: No authors reported relevant financial disclosures.