Hi, I am going in to my final year of University studying Social Psycholgy at University of Ulster. I am starting to think of dissertation ideas & as I am Type 1 diabetic diagnosed 2 years I would like to do my dissertation on something I am genuinely interested about. I have been thinking of ideas and topics I could use, basically what psychological effects does type 1 diabetes have on young adults? When I was diagnosed I was 19 & found it so so difficult to deal with & adapt to. I was just looking for some advice or ideas on where I could get information from and if this would be a topic that would be easy to write about and study? Any help would be appreciated, thanks.
Diabetes Burn Out? There is a sub section for that topic within the forum. The list could be a long one, inc. depression, isolation, anxiety and diabulimia.
I agree with @Guzzler - Diabetes burn out would be a great topic! I would also add that you could explore how the intensity of the "co-production" involved to successfully manage T1DM can contribute to burn out, with a focus on the experience of teens diagnosed with T1DM.
Thanks for the advice! As it's psychology dissertation how would you recommend to gather the data? Through questionnaires I would imagine would be a good start? Thanks so much
Hi @Meganmooney , a questionnaire would work well. What does your academic adviser suggest? Also, is your degree at the undergrad or graduate level? Here is a link to a site that may be helpful to you; this information is for students at the graduate level, but it will be helpful at the undergrad level too: http://www.apa.org/gradpsych/2005/09/collect.aspx
Hi You could also write about the added psychological challenges of being a diabetic, when leaving home and going to uni and managing diabetes without the usual support systems in a different environment whilst still trying to accommodate the demands that uni life presents eg parties, exam stress, future careers. Also the stigma associated with diabetes at this psychologically vulnerable time in a teenager's life of the overt manifestations of diabetes like injecting and hypos. The data could be collected via flyers with an email address distributed through GP surgeries that are in the area of uni, at the uni disability office and pinning up flyers around campus
Topikstarter all the best. I hope you were successful in writing your dissertation and defending it. I really feel for you, because I also went through similar problems during my student days. And if not for the help of a psychologist, I probably would have broken down. It's great when the university allows you to write dissertations and essays on topics that are really important for writers. Freedom of speech and thought is cool. I will not write more in this topic, but if someone encounters a similar problem, then it is probably better for him to buy a task than to suffer from depression.