CDE Psychosocial Aspects of Diabetes 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Motivational interviewing (MI) is best described as:
- A confrontational approach to challenge unhealthy behaviors
- A collaborative, person-centered counseling style that elicits and strengthens a person's own motivation for change (Correct answer)
- A technique for providing comprehensive diabetes education efficiently
- A behavior modification approach using rewards and punishments
Correct answer: A collaborative, person-centered counseling style that elicits and strengthens a person's own motivation for change
Motivational interviewing is a collaborative, person-centered counseling style that draws out the patient's own reasons and motivations for change rather than imposing external directives.
Question 2: In the Health Belief Model, which concept refers to a patient's belief that they are personally at risk for developing diabetes complications?
- Perceived benefits
- Perceived barriers
- Perceived susceptibility (Correct answer)
- Self-efficacy
Correct answer: Perceived susceptibility
Perceived susceptibility reflects an individual's subjective belief about their personal risk of experiencing a negative health outcome such as a diabetes complication.
Question 3: The empowerment approach to diabetes education is based on the belief that:
- The educator should set specific behavior goals on behalf of the patient
- People with diabetes are responsible for and capable of making their own self-management decisions (Correct answer)
- Prescriptive instruction is most effective for improving clinical outcomes
- Clinical outcomes should be prioritized over patient experiences
Correct answer: People with diabetes are responsible for and capable of making their own self-management decisions
The empowerment approach recognizes that people with diabetes make daily self-management choices and focuses on building their autonomy, knowledge, and confidence to guide their own care.
Question 4: Which coping strategy is most associated with better long-term diabetes self-management outcomes?
- Avoidant coping (ignoring diabetes-related demands)
- Emotion-focused coping exclusively
- Problem-focused and active coping strategies (Correct answer)
- Denial of the diabetes diagnosis
Correct answer: Problem-focused and active coping strategies
Problem-focused and active coping strategies — such as seeking information, planning, and directly addressing management challenges — are consistently linked to better glycemic and psychosocial outcomes.
Question 5: When using the SMART framework to set diabetes self-management goals, SMART stands for:
- Simple, Medical, Achievable, Realistic, Timely
- Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound (Correct answer)
- Structured, Motivating, Acceptable, Rewarding, Tracked
- Short, Meaningful, Action-oriented, Reviewed, Tested
Correct answer: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound
SMART goals are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound, providing a structured framework for translating intentions into actionable behavior change plans.
Question 6: Stress affects glycemic control primarily because:
- Counter-regulatory hormones such as cortisol and epinephrine increase hepatic glucose production and impair insulin action (Correct answer)
- Patients inevitably eat more during periods of stress, directly raising blood glucose
- Psychological stress causes permanent reduction in pancreatic insulin secretion
- Psychological stress has no direct physiological effect on blood glucose levels
Correct answer: Counter-regulatory hormones such as cortisol and epinephrine increase hepatic glucose production and impair insulin action
The stress response releases cortisol and epinephrine, which stimulate hepatic gluconeogenesis and glycogenolysis while reducing peripheral insulin sensitivity, thereby raising blood glucose.
Question 7: Which of the following best describes "diabetes burnout"?
- Hypoglycemia-induced fatigue during exercise
- A state of emotional exhaustion in which a person disengages from and stops effectively managing their diabetes (Correct answer)
- A medical complication resulting from long-term insulin therapy
- Physical fatigue caused by chronically poorly controlled blood glucose
Correct answer: A state of emotional exhaustion in which a person disengages from and stops effectively managing their diabetes
Diabetes burnout is a psychological state of emotional exhaustion and disengagement from self-management, occurring when the constant demands of diabetes care become overwhelming.
CDE Psychosocial Aspects of Diabetes 2
Motivational interviewing (MI) is best described as: