The Structure and Function of Support Networks for People with Diabetes

Abstract

This mixed methodology study integrates quantitative results from an analysis of Canadian Community Health Survey data (2015-2021) with qualitative results from an analysis of 15 semi-structured social network interviews to investigate the perceptions of support among those with diabetes. Findings show that in general, people with diabetes are less likely to feel reassured of their worth than those without diabetes. People with diabetes experience support for their diabetes care as nested within a relational history of supportive behaviours and within a pattern of relational interaction that makes diabetes-specific support appropriate. Relationships with other people with diabetes are often isolated from other social connections and are marked by ambivalence. Examining the perceptions of support for those with diabetes presents a unique opportunity to investigate how chronic health conditions impact networks and the behaviours that flow through them.