Methods
A descriptive qualitative approach
was used. We found the interview
method to be appropriate for
data collection regarding coping
resources. Interviews were semistructured.
The participants were
recruited from a cohort of type 2
diabetes patients from two public
health organisations.
Data collection was conducted
between December 2011 and
January 2012 with the help of
nurses from the organisation. The
researcher (SN) informed nurses
about the study and nurses provided
an information letter to
patients. Nurses presented the
researcher with a list of voluntary
participants, and she contacted the
patients on the list. Interviews were
conducted at the homes of participants
or at a health care centre.
Participants were interested in
freely participating in the improvement
of type 2 diabetes care.
Altogether, volunteers participated
in individual interviews. The
interview themes were based on the
health-promoting aspects, and consisted
of: (1) patients’ perceptions
of their coping resources with type 2
diabetes; and (2) patients’ perceptions
of the content and form of
current counselling. We wanted to
emphasise that participants personally
defined what coping resources
meant for them. We did not define
all the dimensions of the concept to
them, but described them only in a
general way in order to find out