Coping with diabetes stress among adults in rural Dominican Republic: “I don’t think about it”

Abstract

Objectives As type 2 diabetes prevalence increases across Latin America, understanding local approaches to coping with diabetes stress is essential to providing care that incorporates patients’ values and preferences. This study explored a local phenomenon, “ no le doy mente” (I don’t think about it), used by adults with type 2 diabetes in the Dominican Republic to cope with diabetes stress. Methods We conducted 19 qualitative in-depth interviews with adults with type 2 diabetes (10 men, 9 women) recruited from one rural clinic. Using an inductive analytic approach including iterative coding, memos, and matrices, we identified reasons, strategies, and perceived benefits of not thinking about type 2 diabetes among participants. Results Participants described not thinking about diabetes as an active process to maintain a sense of normalcy despite significant life changes following diagnosis. They avoided thinking about diabetes by staying busy, proactively managing type 2 diabetes through diet and medication, and turning to their faith. Participants perceived that enacting no le doy mente helped to protect their overall health and well-being. Discussion Future research should investigate provider perceptions of no le doy mente to align patient and provider communication and mindfulness-based stress reduction as a way to support people with type 2 diabetes avoid dwelling on negative thoughts about diabetes.