Table 2.

Social support analysis.

Types of social support	Definition	Example
Informational	Providing advice, suggestions, and information	“I wait for about 6-7 days of bg readings to call a trend for myself when the differences are small, but it is possible over a course of days to note a slight uptick or downtick in bg.”
Emotional	Expressions of empathy, love, trust, and caring	“Way to go …! Congratulations on changing your way of eating and adding in all that exercise.”
Appraisal	Information that is useful for self-evaluation	“Did you ever have diabetes education classes, or consult with a diabetes educator? Do you know how to count carbs? Read here and learn how to make your efforts achieve the best possible outcomes.”
Instrumental	Providing tangible aid and service	N/Aa

^aN/A: not applicable.