This report is part of a larger study that investigated the relationships between illness demands, marital support, and psychological adjustment in the context of diabetes mellitus in rural and urban middle-aged marital couples in
Botswana. Ninety-six persons experiencing diabetes and 87 of their spouses
participated in the study. This report is based on data from 87 diabetic patients and their spouses. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews. Patients and their spouses were interviewed separately. Three open-ended
questions elicited participants’ personal experiences of illness demands. The
couple participants reported many challenging illness experiences associated with the illness and contextual factors that influenced their perception about the burden of illness and reported that the illness experienced was often a
growth-enhancing and maturing process.