Objective:

To think about the emotional support that Mutual Aid Groups (MAG) offer up to indigenous people with diabetes and their importance in adherence to treatment.

Materials and methods:

Qualitative study: 25 semi-structured interviews; 3 focus groups (17 participants); and non-participant observation. Content analysis was carried out with the support of the Atlas-ti program.

Results:

We identified emotional expressions related to the disease. The opinion about MAGs and group work was positive. The MAG is a catharsis space, but it does not work as a support to face the restrictions of the treatment and the emotional impact in case of major complications.

Conclusions:

With proper training of the health personnel in charge of the groups, MAGs can become emotional support spaces for indigenous people and contribute to their well-being.

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