Couple's relationship with diabetes: means and meanings for management success.

Diabetes is a serious chronic illness that involves individuals, couples, and families in complex reciprocal interactions with the illness and other life dimensions. A major issue in diabetes management is how well the patient is able to follow the established medical regimen of selfcare. Situated within personal, physical, and social contexts, the meaning that a couple creates and the emotions they feel in their adaptation to living with diabetes and its demanding regimen can be viewed as the couple's relationship with diabetes.