| The purpose of this study was to investigate whether a specialized addiction support group model might enhance treatment adherence among diabetic women. Charlotte Kasl's Sixteen Step Empowerment Model was chosen for the study.; The 17 volunteers in the study were primarily Caucasian women living in a university town located in a frontier rocky mountain state. Their ages ranged from 19 to 81 years. Both Type I and Type II diabetic women were included in the study. Instruments used in the study, all of which were self-report inventories, included the Diabetic Self-Efficacy Scale, Stage of Change Inventory, Codependency Assessment Tool, Levenson Locus of Control Scale, and a final evaluation form.; The results of this study indicate that ten weekly sessions of attendance in an addictions-specific support group focused on diabetes mellitus yielded a strong trend for increase of Diabetic Self-Efficacy Scale scores (F = 2.71, p = .11). Eighty-eight percent of the intervention group participants reported that they had improved their treatment adherence behaviors.; Women participating in the intervention found four elements to be helpful: (1) the opportunity to meet with other diabetics, (2) the opportunity to discuss problems with others, (3) the addiction support group model, and (4) the information learned about diabetes. |
