Behavioral Strategies Flashcards

Social support is recognized as a key behavioral determinant in diabetes management. Which type of social support involves practical assistance, such as a family member driving a patient to appointments?

Answer: Instrumental support

Instrumental support refers to tangible, practical help that facilitates the patient's ability to carry out health behaviors.

A patient with type 1 diabetes reports deliberately skipping insulin doses to lose weight. This behavior is most accurately described as:

Answer: Diabulimia, a form of disordered eating in diabetes

Diabulimia is a serious eating disorder specific to diabetes where insulin is restricted for weight control, requiring specialized behavioral and medical intervention.

Problem-solving training in diabetes education typically follows which sequence?

Answer: Define problem → generate solutions → evaluate options → implement and review

Structured problem-solving follows a logical sequence: clearly define the problem, brainstorm solutions, evaluate them, then act and assess results.

Which behavior change technique uses predetermined rewards to reinforce desired diabetes self-management behaviors?

Answer: Contingency management

Contingency management applies behavioral reinforcement principles by linking specific rewards to the performance of target health behaviors.

A patient reports that stress from work causes blood glucose spikes and leads to emotional eating. The MOST appropriate initial behavioral intervention is:

Answer: Identify the stress-eating cycle and teach coping strategies to interrupt it

Helping the patient recognize the stress-glucose-eating cycle and introducing alternative coping behaviors directly addresses the behavioral root cause.

Peer support in diabetes education is effective primarily because it:

Answer: Provides lived-experience modeling and reduces feelings of isolation

Peers with shared experiences normalize the challenges of living with diabetes and serve as credible role models, which Social Cognitive Theory identifies as vicarious learning.

Which concept from Self-Determination Theory is most closely associated with a patient choosing to manage their diabetes because they find personal meaning in staying healthy?

Answer: Integrated regulation

Integrated regulation occurs when health behaviors are fully assimilated into the patient's identity and values, representing the highest form of autonomous motivation.