Kronik Rahatsızlıklarda Zihinselleştirmenin Rolüne İlişkin Bir Araştırma: Tip 1 Diyabet Hastalarında Zihinselleştirmenin Tedavi Uyumuyla İlişkisinin İncelenmesi

Abstract

Chronic diseases require periodic follow-up and support as complete recovery is not possible. That makes treatment adherence in chronic diseases quite important. This is also the case for Type 1 diabetes, which requires daily and even hourly control and intervention. Health belief model, which reveals that people's orientation towards health behaviors is related to their perceptions about the disease, has been developed to identify these health beliefs and then increase health behaviors. Mentalizing is the ability to link one's own and others' actions, behaviors and emotions to mental processes. Aim of this study is to examine the relationship between mentalizing and health beliefs with treatment adherence in type 1 diabetes. For this purpose, 112 participants with type 1 diabetes aged 18-45 years were asked to complete Reflective Functioning Questionnaire (RFQ-4), Diabetes Specific Health Belief Model, Warwick-Edinburg Mental Well-Being Scale, Patient-Doctor Relationship Scale, Brief Health Literacy Screening Tool and Type 1 Diabetes Treatment Adherence Scale which is developed for this study. Data collection process was conducted online and anonymously. According to results of statistical analysis, uncertainty subdimension of reflective functioning predicts treatment adherence through the mediation of health beliefs. Similar mediation relation was also found when uncertainty subdimension of RF predicted individuals' well-being. Beside, no mediation relation was found in the relationship between reflective functioning and health beliefs with patient-doctor relationship, health literacy and metabolic control. Treatment adherence has a negative relationship with uncertainty subdimension of RF and metabolic control, while it has a positive relationship with certainty subdimension of RF, well-being, health beliefs, patient-doctor relationship and health literacy. Results show that mentalization affects treatment adherence through health beliefs. The same goes for well-being. Therefore, it can be expected that the application of mentalization-focused psychotherapies in treatment of type 1 diabetes will both increase treatment adherence and positively affect people's well-being.