DDIG: Culture and the Experience of Chronic Disease: The Case of Diabetes in Urban India

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Doctoral student Lesley Jo Weaver (Emory University), under the guidance of Dr. Peter J. Brown and Dr. Craig Hadley, will conduct research on the interaction between particular cultural and social ideologies, on the one hand, and the experience of chronic disease, on the other. The research questions will be explored through the lens of co-occurring type 2 diabetes and depression for middle-class women in New Delhi, India. Type 2 diabetes is one of India's leading health concerns, especially among women, and depression is very common among people with diabetes. Even so, relatively little is known about women's everyday experiences of dealing with type 2 diabetes in India, where chronic illness may interfere with intense household and family responsibilities as well as careers outside the home. This research will therefore focus on individual and family relationships, including conflicts that may arise when a woman has type 2 diabetes. Particular attention will be paid to whether or not these tensions produce signs and symptoms of depression and anxiety or perhaps whether pre-existing depression exacerbates or leads to diabetes. Weaver will use interviews, questionnaires, participant-observation, and blood tests to explore how women and their family members perceive women's family roles and responsibilities, whether or not they are depressed according to biomedical and local standards, how effectively women are able to manage diabetes and psychosocial stress, and whether or not these management efforts create conflict or impede their ability to fulfill important family and personal roles. This research is important because it will contribute to social scientific theory of the relation between biological and cultural aspects of human experience. In particular, it will contribute to understanding of how particular forms of culture and social organization affect the experience of chronic illnesses like diabetes and depression in everyday life. Therefore, the research also has the potential to improve disease management. Because type 2 diabetes is increasingly becoming a health concern for both children and adults worldwide, a better understanding of the ways in which diabetes intersects with mental health and cultural variability holds promise for improving diabetes management and treatment efforts. Funding this research also supports the education of a graduate student.