New Australian research suggests resilience, optimism, and a sense of control may help older women manage type 2 diabetes and pre-diabetes
When it comes to managing type 2 diabetes (T2D), we often focus on behaviours like healthy eating, physical activity, taking medication, and having regular check-ups. But behavioural science has long shown that how people think and feel also shapes self‑care. Many studies focus on negative thoughts and emotions, and how these can get in the way. But it is just as important to understand the strengths that can support self-care.
Earlier this year, we shared findings from our interviews exploring what adults with diabetes want and need to support their emotional health. This work highlighted the value of shifting the focus from “what’s wrong” to “what’s strong”.
New Australian research adds to this evidence. Dr Shannon Lin and colleagues explored the psychological factors that influence day-to-day diabetes management among older women who have, or are at risk, of T2D.
The Study
Researchers analysed data from 939 women aged 68-73 years who were participating in the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health. Of the women, 80% had T2D and 20% had pre-diabetes. Pre-diabetes i when blood glucose levels are higher than the ideal range. But they are not high enough to be diagnosed type 2 diabetes.
Three important psychological factors were examined:
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- resilience: the ability to bounce back from stress or setbacks.
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- optimism: expecting things to turn out well.
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- perceived control: feeling that your actions can influence your health.
The researchers explored how these factors were related to:
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- self-care behaviours: physical activity; alcohol use; smoking status
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- healthcare use: how often women visited health professionals; whether they had their HbA1C checked in the past 12 months
What They Found
For older women with T2D:
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- Higher optimism was linked with more physical activity, fewer GP visits, and higher likelihood of visiting the dentist.
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- Higher perceived control was linked with more physical activity and fewer GP visits.
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- Higher resilience was linked with fewer mental health consultations and higher likelihood of having glucose levels checked.
For older women with pre-diabetes:
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- Self‑care behaviours (like physical activity) were not linked with the psychological factors.
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- Higher resilience was linked with fewer GP and nurse visits.
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- Higher perceived control was linked with a lower rate of specialist visits.
Why do these results matter?
Living with diabetes involves constant decision-making, e.g., what to eat, when to be active, and when to see a health professional. This study suggests that psychological strengths may help people navigate these daily challenges.
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- Optimism can support the belief that efforts will pay off.
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- A sense of control can help someone feel more confident in making healthy choices.
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- Resilience can help a person recover from setbacks and continue with self‑care, even when things are difficult.
Building confidence, maintaining a positive outlook and developing coping skills could be valuable tools for living well with diabetes.
Key takeaway
These findings do not mean that women with greater optimism, resilience, and perceived control needed less healthcare, or that they were managing their diabetes better than others. This was a correlational study, which means it can only show us that some things tended to occur together. This means that we can’t conclude that one thing caused another thing from this study.
But we can say that for these older women living with T2D or pre-diabetes, resilience, optimism, and a sense of control may influence how they approach managing the day-to-day aspects of diabetes.
If you’re interested to learn more about the role of psychology in diabetes, check our past blogs here.
If you’re an adult living with diabetes in Australia, you can also join our national MIND‑MAP study here. MIND-MAP stands for “Mental health IN Diabetes – Monitoring and Pathways”.
Reference:
Lin S, Peng W, Rahman MS, Sibbritt D. Associations between psychosocial factors and health service utilisation and self-management in older Australian women with type 2 diabetes or pre-diabetes: A cross-sectional study. BMJ Open, 2026; 16: e103794. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2025-103794
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