Barriers to Self-Management in Depressed Women With Type 2 Diabetes:

PurposeTo describe the impact of family functioning on the self-management of type 2 diabetes (T2DM) and depression in a subsample of women who completed a randomized clinical trial using vitamin D3 (5000 or 50,000 IUs weekly) for depression treatment.BackgroundWomen are at higher risk for increased severity of T2DM when experiencing depression.MethodsNarrative inquiry was used. A semi-structured interview was conducted to understand helpful strategies and barriers in managing T2DM and depression. In addition, women were asked their meaning of family quality of life (FQOL).ResultsTwenty-one women participated after completion of the six-month final visit in the randomized clinical trial. The mean age was 55.2 years. Participants were 24% Hispanic, 48% African-American, and 52% Caucasian. The major themes generated related to family issues that impacted their self-management, yet participants did not want to “bring fault” to their families. Three themes emerged: (a) experience of family hardships—“it’s bee...