You Can Live With It or You Can Die”: Southern Gothic Storytelling of Diabetes Management in a Rural South Carolina Town

Nationally, diabetes is the eighth leading cause of death. The crisis deepens in South Carolina, where the state ranks sixth in adult diabetes prevalence. The burden is even greater in rural counties. Understanding storytelling themes and modalities is a novel approach in crafting culturally tailored messaging for the prevention and management of diabetes. This qualitative study examined the experiences of diabetes through the lens of Southern Gothic. Nineteen African Americans, all with a diagnosis of diabetes and residents of a town in rural South Carolina, were recruited and interviewed. Interviews were examined for narratives and organized thematically by Southern Gothic storytelling modalities. Interviews revealed stories of shock, fear, the grotesque, isolation, helping one's neighbor, and sacrifice in the diagnosis and ongoing management of diabetes. This study revealed numerous opportunities in research, public health, and community health nursing to tailor diabetes messaging and interventions designed to improve diabetes outcomes in rural communities.