A Critical Examination of the Lived Experiences of Somali Refugees and Immigrants Diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes and their Family

This narrative study explores how the process of resettlement impacted the management/care of type 2 diabetes (T2D) among Somali immigrants and refugees living with T2D and/or family members of Somali immigrants and refugees living with this condition residing in Toronto. It also examines how the participants described their and/or family member/s illness. Family members were included in this study since research indicates that they can play a significant role in the care of individuals living with T2D (Black, Maitland, Hilbers, & Orinuela, 2016; Mayberry & Osborn, 2012; Protudjer, Dumontet, & McGavock, 2014). In total, 37 face-to-face interviews were conducted with 19 family members and 18 individuals living with T2D from Fall 2017 to December 2018. Data analysis involved analysis of narratives (Creswell, Hanson, Plano Clark, & Morales, 2007; Polkinghorne, 1995), which resulted in three themes across all participant narratives. These themes were then organized and presented through restorying three participant experiences. This study also included found poetry, displaying participants’ words from their interviews as a poem (Butler-Kisber, 2020).

The first theme, ‘precarious settlement,’ describes the participants’ experiences dealing with stressors, such as unsafe neighbourhoods, un/underemployment, and poverty. The second theme, ‘gendering of T2D,’ illustrates the gendered ways in which the participants described T2D (as mainly a woman’s disease) and the gendered forms of care that were enacted by family members. Lastly, the third theme, ‘diabetes as bitter-sweet,’ explores how T2D was narrated and perceived by participants in this study, which included positive and negative accounts. This study recommends that further attention be placed to address the structural inequalities and barriers experienced by the participants. Mental health supports that are inclusive of the participants’ religious/cultural worldviews are also needed to support family members and individuals living with T2D in this population in dealing with diagnosis, care, and resettlement stressors that they may be experiencing.