Supporting parents of very young children with type 1 diabetes: Results from a pilot study

Abstract

Objective To assess initial efficacy and feasibility of a telephone-based supportive intervention for parents of young children with type 1 diabetes (T1D) designed to improve parental quality of life (QOL) through decreased parental stress, increased social support, and improved daily management of their child's diabetes. Methods The research team developed a brief program based on Social Cognitive Theory for parents of young children with T1D. Twenty-four parents (88% mothers) of young children with T1D (ages 2 – 5 years) participated in a pilot study of the program and completed psychosocial questionnaires and a program satisfaction survey. Results Paired t tests of pre- and post-intervention scores suggested a favorable within-group impact for the intervention group, as evidenced by decreased pediatric parenting stress and a trend for increased perceived social support. The program was well-received, with the majority of participants rating it as helpful and interesting. Conclusion Assisting parents with the unique challenges of diabetes management in young children through implementation of a structured intervention is promising. Practice Implications A telephone-based intervention focused on child development, coping, and problem-solving skills has the potential to positively impact parents' QOL and may have implications for children's health.

Evidence-based behavioral interventions to promote diabetes management in children, adolescents, and families.

“…Initial findings suggest that family-oriented support programs for parents of young children may improve parental well-being (Monaghan, Hilliard, Cogen, & Streisand, 2011; Sullivan-Bolyai, Bova, Lee, & Gruppuso, 2011), and research is underway to extend the impact to diabetes management and glycemic outcomes. At the other end of the pediatric age range, health-services-based transition programs, such as structured diabetes clinics for young adults and transition coordinator programs, have demonstrated improvements in clinic attendance, reductions in loss to follow-up in adult care, and improvements psychological support.…”

Design and development of a stepped-care behavioral intervention to support parents of young children newly diagnosed with type 1 diabetes

“…A few small-scale clinical behavioral interventions for parents of young children with T1D exist that include parent social support via parent mentors (“parent coaches” [37]), and our own telephone-based psychoeducational/behavioral intervention focusing on teaching skills to manage child behavior and parental stress related to T1D [9]. These interventions have demonstrated increased perceived support, decreased family burden, and improved coping [46], as well as decreased parenting stress [39]. Participants in our previous studies with interventions delivered at least 6 months post- diagnosis indicated wanting this program close to the time of diagnosis [39], highlighting the need for targeted behavioral support earlier.…”

The Impact of Parents' Sleep Quality and Hypoglycemia Worry on Diabetes Self-Efficacy

“…Parents of both preschool and older age children with T1D regularly experience elevated levels of parenting stress, anxiety, and depression (Hansen, Weissbrod, Schwartz, & Taylor, 2012; Jaser, Whittemore, Ambrosino, Lindemann, & Grey, 2008; Monaghan, Hilliard, Cogen, & Streisand, 2011; Streisand et al, 2008; Streisand, Swift, Wickmark, Chen, & Holmes, 2005). One aspect of T1D care that may be particularly challenging is management of hypoglycemic episodes (low BG levels), during which children may experience confusion, disorientation, seizures, and/or loss of consciousness.…”