Psychosocial Health Needs of Adults 18–64 Years Old Living with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in Zimbabwe : A Qualitative Intrinsic Case Study

Chada, Nyaradzo and Ahmed, Faraz and Holland, Paula (2026) Psychosocial Health Needs of Adults 18–64 Years Old Living with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in Zimbabwe : A Qualitative Intrinsic Case Study. PhD thesis, Lancaster University.

Text (2026 ChadaPhD.pdf)
2026_ChadaPhD.pdf.pdf - Published Version
Available under License Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial.
Download (8MB)

Abstract

Introduction: The psychosocial aspects of diabetes are increasingly recognised as crucial for effective diabetes self-care. However, qualitative research on how to identify and address the psychosocial health-related needs of people with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in resource-limited settings, such as Zimbabwe are scarce. Methods: An exploratory intrinsic qualitative case study design was employed. Data was collected from 16 people with T2DM through semi structured in-depth interviews, and from three focus group discussions involving self-identified caregivers, diabetes advocates and diabetes health professionals. All interviews and focus group discussions were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analysed using Reflexive Thematic Analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2021). Themes were triangulated across participant groups to identify commonalities and differences. Results: Several suboptimal social determinants of health factors, including the absence of a national diabetes policy and the prioritisation of donor-funded disease-specific such as human immunodeficiency virus programs were identified as significant barriers to effective diabetes self-care. The lived experience of diabetes self-care varied notably based on socio-economic status, gender, marital status and the perceived quality of social support. Common challenges reported included food insecurity, high healthcare costs, experiences of emotional distress and stigma as part of the lived experience of diabetes self-care in Zimbabwe. Conclusion: Lived experienced of diabetes self-care may best be understood by consideration of contextual social determinants of health and multiple social identities of people with T2DM as this may results in varied psychosocial health-related needs. Consequently, in low-income setting such as Zimbabwe there is urgent need to integrate equity-focused diabetes care policies within existing health systems.