For World Diabetes Day 2025, the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) championed a theme of Diabetes and Well-being, with a specific focus on Diabetes and the Workplace.1 The campaign urged employers to combat stigma and foster supportive environments—a noble, if predictable, cause. Yet, while the IDF looks toward the office, they have largely overlooked a far more immediate threat: the lethal intersection of Type 2 diabetes and coercive control. For millions of survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV), the primary barrier to health is not workplace culture, but a partner who uses their chronic condition as a weapon of subjugation..2 3
In this article you will learn:
- What is Diabetes?
- What is Coercive Control?
- The Causal Role of Coercive Control in Diabetes
- How Workplace Failures Enable Medical Sabotage
- The Link Between Coercive Control and Diabetes Complications
- Summary
- References
What is Diabetes?
Diabetes is a chronic metabolic condition that arises when the pancreas either ceases to produce sufficient insulin or when the body becomes unable to utilize the hormone effectively. Insulin serves as the body’s primary regulator of blood glucose; without it, sugar remains in the bloodstream rather than being converted into energy.
This sustained state of high blood sugar—known as hyperglycaemia —acts like a slow poison, causing irreversible damage to the nerves, blood vessels, and vital organs over time.4
Conversely, the “careful balancing act” of management carries its own risks: hypoglycemia. If insulin, food intake, and physical activity are not precisely synchronized, blood sugar can plummet, leading to immediate confusion, shakiness, or a life-threatening loss of consciousness.
Types of diabetes
Diabetes is broadly categorized into two primary forms:
- Type 1 Diabetes (T1D): An autoimmune condition, typically diagnosed in childhood, where the body mistakenly attacks its own insulin-producing cells.
- Type 2 Diabetes (T2D): The most prevalent form, accounting for over 95% of cases. It involves a progressive resistance to insulin, frequently driven by a complex interplay of genetic predisposition and lifestyle factors.
Why Diabetes Management Matters
The consequences of mismanagement are systemic. In 2021 alone, diabetes was the direct cause of 1.6 million deaths, with nearly half of those occurring in individuals under the age of 70. This rising mortality rate is a stark anomaly; while deaths from other major non-communicable diseases have begun to fall, diabetes-related fatalities continue to climb. The resulting complications are devastating:
- Retinopathy: Irreversible eye damage and blindness.
- Nephropathy: Chronic kidney disease and failure.
- Neuropathy: Nerve damage often leading to foot ulcers and amputation.
- Cardiovascular Disease: A significantly heightened risk of heart attack and stroke.
Global Toll of Diabetes
The global toll is staggering. As of 2022, an estimated 59% of adults aged 30 and over living with diabetes were not receiving the necessary medication—a treatment gap that is most acute in low- and middle-income countries. This suggests that for more than half the world’s diabetic population, the “balancing act” of management is not a choice, but an impossibility.
What is Coercive Control?
Coercive control is a strategic pattern of behavior used to erode a victim’s autonomy. It is a psychological imprisonment characterized by isolation, financial abuse, and the meticulous monitoring of one’s daily life.
Signs of coercive control
- Put-downs
- Threats
- Isolation
- Monitoring your time
- Deprivation of basic needs
- Monitoring communication
- Taking control of your daily life
- Rules and regulations
- Financial abuse
- Criminal damage
- Assault or rape
- Obstruction of employment
Potential complications
Some of the long-term impacts like chronic anxiety, major depressive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), loss of support networks.
The Causal Role of Coercive Control in Type 2 Diabetes for Survivors of IPV
The link between trauma and Type 2 diabetes is no longer speculative; it is physiological. Survivors of IPV often exhibit symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), a condition that triggers a chronic inflammatory response and neuroendocrine dysfunction.5
Research indicates that women with high levels of PTSD symptoms are nearly twice as likely to develop Type 2 diabetes as those without trauma exposure. Furthermore, severe psychological abuse—measured by the Women’s Experiences with Battering (WEB) score—is associated with an 80% increased risk of developing the condition. This association is similar in magnitude to the risk posed by severe childhood physical or sexual abuse.6
How Workplace Failures Enable Medical Sabotage
In the hands of an abuser, a diabetes diagnosis is not a medical reality to be managed, but a vulnerability to be exploited. Medical sabotage occurs when a partner intentionally disrupts a survivor’s treatment:
- Withholding Medication: Locking away insulin or “losing” testing strips.
- Dietary Sabotage: Forcing the consumption of high-sugar foods or depriving the victim of regular meals to induce hypoglycemia.
- Sleep Deprivation: Using exhaustion to ensure the victim is too fatigued to monitor their levels.
- Financial Control: Restricting the funds needed for specialized diets or doctor’s appointments.
When we talk about Diabetes in the Workplace, we must acknowledge that for a survivor of coercive control, the workplace may be the only safe haven they have—or it may be another site of obstruction of employment used to keep them financially dependent and medically fragile.
Summary
Diabetes management requires a degree of agency and predictability that is fundamentally incompatible with the chaos of coercive control. Until the global health community recognizes domestic abuse as a primary determinant of metabolic health, the IDF’s goals of “well-being” will remain out of reach for those living under the shadow of a controlling partner.
How Narcissistic Abuse Rehab Can Help
Are you or a loved one is ready to break free from a toxic relationship and reclaim your life, Narcissistic Abuse Rehab is here to kick start your recovery journey. We craft tailored solutions that support your unique path to healing, offering high-impact one-on-one coaching sessions every week. Our world-class coaching services employ effective, evidence-based strategies to help you rebuild your inner strength, reconnect with your purpose, and achieve your recovery goals. Experience online support that empowers you to overcome past wounds and embrace a fulfilling future. Book a FREE 15-Minute consultation today.
How to Cite This Page
Wakefield, Manya. (2025). Diabetes and Coercive Control: Causes, Risks, and Health Impacts. Narcissistic Abuse Rehab. Retrieved from https://www.narcissisticabuserehab.com/diabetes-and-coercive-control-causes-risks-and-health-impacts on [Date].
References
Click to see a list of reference material used for this article.
- World Diabetes Day. (2025) Know More and Do More for Diabetes at Work. international Diabetes Federation. ↩︎
- Mason SM, Wright RJ, Hibert EN, Spiegelman D, Jun HJ, Hu FB, Rich-Edwards JW. Intimate partner violence and incidence of type 2 diabetes in women. Diabetes Care. 2013 May;36(5):1159-65. doi: 10.2337/dc12-1082. Epub 2012 Dec 17. PMID: 23248189; PMCID: PMC3631851. ↩︎
- Wakefield, Manya. (2023, February 18). PTSD and Depression Comorbidity Raise Risk of Female Mortality. Narcissistic Abuse Rehab. Accessed November 17, 2025. ↩︎
- World Health Organization. “Diabetes.” Fact Sheet. Accessed November 18, 2025. ↩︎
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- Mason et al.. ↩︎
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