The experience of type 2 diabetes self-management in adults with intellectual disabilities and their caregivers: A review of the literature using meta-aggregative synthesis and an appraisal of rigour

Maine, Andrew; Brown, Micahel; Dickson, Adele; Truesdale, Maria

Abstract

People with intellectual disabilities (ID) experience significant barriers to diabetes self-management (DSM), yet there remains a paucity of research within this population. An overview of the literature on people with ID and their caregivers’ experiences of living with and self-managing type 2 diabetes (T2D) is provided.
Methods Meta-aggregative methods were adopted to synthesise results, and an appraisal was reported of rigour.
Result A total of eight studies met the inclusion criteria and four themes were extracted: i) “Frustration over lifestyle adjustments”; ii) "Limited understanding and inadequate educational resources"; iii) “Limited training and knowledge in staff”; iv) "Potential for effective DSM with appropriate support".
Conclusion Current support is inadequate to meet the needs of people with ID and their caregivers self-managing diabetes. Structured education to improve health literacy and diabetes knowledge in people with ID is required, together with training for caregivers which leads to a culture of nurturing autonomy.

Citation

Maine, A., Brown, M., Dickson, A., & Truesdale, M. (2020). The experience of type 2 diabetes self-management in adults with intellectual disabilities and their caregivers: A review of the literature using meta-aggregative synthesis and an appraisal of rigour. Journal of Intellectual Disabilities, 24(2), 253-267. https://doi.org/10.1177/1744629518774172

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Apr 6, 2018
• Online Publication Date: May 15, 2018
• Publication Date: 2020-06
• Deposit Date: Apr 10, 2018
• Publicly Available Date: Apr 10, 2018
• Journal: Journal of Intellectual Disabilities
• Print ISSN: 1744-6295
• Publisher: SAGE Publications
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 24
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 253-267
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1744629518774172
• Keywords: Intellectual disability, diabetes, self-management, care-givers, independent living,
• Public URL: http://researchrepository.napier.ac.uk/Output/1147870