Afrontamiento en pacientes con diabetes mellitus 2 con y sin retinopatía.

There is currently little or no specific research on the relationship between coping and diabetic retinopathy, even though it is known that stress coping by these patients is associated to the course and evolution of the disease. The present study used a convenience sample of 42 participants with diabetes mellitus type 2, in order to compare the stress-coping skills of patients with and without diabetic retinopathy, through a self-report inventory. Groups were equivalent in size, years with the disease, and such characteristics, as sex, age, schooling, and marital status. Results revealed statistically significant differences in coping through emotional expression: patients without retinopathy used this strategy more frequently than those with it. This finding is important in the sense that it opens a new window of opportunity to explore the role of coping in the progression of type 2 diabetes and its complications. Some implications of these findings for clinical practice are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]