Diabetes Intrusiveness and Wellness Among Elders: A Test of the Illness Intrusiveness Model

Using data collected from 147 predominately African American senior citizens in Arkansas, this research examined the Illness Intrusiveness Model (Devins, 1991 Devins , G. ( 1991 ). Illness intrusiveness and the psychosocial impact of end-stage renal disease . In M. Hardy , J. Kiernan , A. Kutscher , J. Cahill & A. Bevenitsky (Eds.), Psychosocial aspects of end-stage renal disease: Issues of our times (pp. 83 – 102 ). New York , NY : PMA . [Google Scholar]; Devins & Seland, 1987 Devins , G. , & Seland , T. ( 1987 ). Emotional impact of multiple sclerosis: recent findings and suggestions for future research . Psychological Bulletin , 101 ( 3 ), 363 – 375 .[Crossref], [PubMed] , [Google Scholar]; Devins & Shnek, 2000 Devins , G. , & Shnek , Z. ( 2000 ). Multiple sclerosis . In R. Frank & T. Elliott (Eds.), Handbook of rehabilitation psychology (pp. 163 – 184 ). Washington , DC : American Psychological Association .[Crossref] , [Google Scholar]) to explain variations in wellness specifically related to participants' adaptation to diabetes. The theoretical model hypothesized that the relationships between five explanatory variables and wellness would be mediated through illness intrusiveness and personal control. Moreover, it was hypothesized that illness intrusiveness would be directly related to wellness, as well as indirectly related to wellness, mediated through personal control. Partial support for the model was observed with some hypotheses supported and others not supported. Limitations and implications of this study for both future research and practice are discussed.