| Summary: | 碩士 === 國立臺北大學 === 社會工作學系 === 91 === The research studied the illness adjustment process of the young Type I diabetics by intensive interview with six patients. The adjustment model was used to explore the relationships among the stress, coping behaviors and adjustment process in each diabetic patient.
Four stages of diabetic adjustment process were found. They are as follows: Stage I-sudden discovery of the illness, Stage II-changes in life, Stage III-self-acceptance, and Stage IV-optimism about the future.
In stage 1 the young Type I diabetics faced the stressors of the physical, mental, and social aspects. Their coping behaviors included acceptance, problem solving, and self-discipline.
In stage 2 they encountered the following stresses: school life, social relationship, work, sexual relationship, and self-care, consideration in consumption, difference in life, and medical treatment. Their coping behaviors included active learning, self-judgment, recognition and evaluation, self-cautiousness, problem solving, open expression, self-examination, environmental change, precautionary action, concealment of the illness in order to buffer the changes in job, voluntary revelation of the illness to co-workers.
In stage 3 they had the stressor of mental aspect. Their coping behaviors included discussion of problems, diversion of attention, encouragement, change of thoughts, emotional changes, not affected by the illness and life, learning to care, acceptable, advantageous attitude, altruism, and/or giving up.
In the last stage, their stresses included challenge to the marriage, sexual life, life planning, and time management. Their coping behaviors included religious consolation and optimism about the future.
Based on the research findings, the researcher offered some suggestions for the helping professionals and the future studies.
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