Emotional Dynamics of Persons with Type 2 Diabetes and Their Potential Role in Treatment Adherence: Insights from a Clinical Psychodynamic Perspective

Abstract

The aim of the present study is to test some differences between persons withwithout type 2 diabetes (T2D) on depression, defense mechanisms and unconscious ego-damaged related strategies, and to investigate their potential role in treatment adherence. Twenty-six persons with T2D and 25 healthy controls matched for agegender were enrolled and assessed using Self-Care Inventory-Revised, Beck Depression Inventory-II, Defense Mechanism Inventory and Projective Envy Technique. Mann-Whitney U tests and bivariate correlations were performed. Healthy controls reported higher depression (somatic-affective) (r = 0,51) and lower reversal (r = -0,36)mania (r = -0,36) compared to persons with T2D. A medium-high negative correlation effect was found between treatment adherence and depression (rs = -0,49), whilemedium positive correlation with principalization (rs = 0,48) emerged. Resultsnew light on the potential role of unconscious repressive defense mechanisms inrelationship between depression and diabetes and its impact on adherence. Therefore, some insights are provided concerning diabetes as an internal symbolic object.