Date
5-25-2023
Department
School of Communication and the Arts
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy in Communication (PhD)
Chair
Carol E. Hepburn
Keywords
type 1 diabetes, online health information, adolescent, young adult, self-management, semiotics
Disciplines
Communication
Recommended Citation
Zhao, Laura Elizabeth, "The Semiotics of Type 1 Diabetes: A Qualitative Content Analysis of Publicly Accessible Information" (2023). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 4522.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/4522
Abstract
The purpose of this qualitative content analysis was to explore the content and semiotic structure of publicly accessible type 1 diabetes information and assess what content is tailored to the adolescent and young adult population. As an effort to enhance adolescent and young adult self-management practices and outcomes, this research aimed to better understand what information is accessible to the type 1 diabetes community and the ways in which it is categorized. Framed by Greimasian semiotics, ten peer-reviewed sources were selected and coded using frequency and thematic analysis. This comparative process identified five themes including Management, Staying Alive, Type 1 How-Tos, Management is Happening, and Type 1 Management Outcomes. Collectively, these themes revealed two canonical narrative schemas within public type 1 diabetes information. These findings benefit health authorities and professionals, as they provide credible insights into the health information being communicated to and consumed by individuals living with type 1 diabetes and their loved ones. Keywords: type 1 diabetes, online health information, adolescent, young adult, self-management, semiotics
