L’adattamento psicologico alla diagnosi di diabete di tipo 2.

SUMMARY Psychological adjustment to type 2 diabetes Objective. Based upon the literature of the past ten years, this study analyzes the initial phase of psychological adjustment after a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes, with the goal of providing useful guidelines to diabetologists in supporting their patients from the very first moment of clinical work. The study identifies five functional areas that characterize this adjustment: anxiety, depression, locus of control, self-esteem and self-efficacy. Method. Using a battery of psychometric tests, we assessed the psychological condition in a sample of 42 subjects with type 2 diabetes, comparing with a control sample of 420 subjects, without diabetes. Results. The initial psychological adjustment after six months from diagnosis, seems characterized by decreased tone of mood and self-efficacy, without anxious symptoms. The subjects seem to develop a fatalistic attitude or a strong external entrustment, showing inclination to underestimate the disease’s reality and to seek external dependence that could affect the path towards an adequate and effective self-management. Conclusions. The authors discuss the findings emerged and possible directions for a smoother working relationship between diabetologists and their patients.