Evaluating the Effectiveness of a Workshop/Support Group for Parents Raising Children with Type 1 Diabetes

• Main Author: Yazzie, Christina Marie
• Format: Others
• Published: BYU ScholarsArchive 2012
• Subjects: type 1 diabetes mellitus; parents; chronic illness; support group; Nursing
• Online Access: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/3338; https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=4337&context=etd

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a workshop/support group for parents raising children with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM). Diagnosis of a chronic disease in a child generally arouses acute anxiety and stress in parents. Parental stress when raising a child with type 1 diabetes is often centered on worry about their child's health and parents' ability to maintain the care activities needed by these children. Parents are the primary caregivers of children with Type 1 diabetes, and the effect of stress on parents can impact the health of both children and parents. The present study examined parents of children with type 1 diabetes who attended four separate two hour support groups/workshops. The Pediatric Inventory for Parents (Streisand, 2001) measured parenting stress. The parents completed the Pediatric Inventory for Parents, at the beginning of the first workshop and again at the end of all the workshops. Parents also completed an open ended questionnaire at the end of each workshop. Parents responded positively to the workshops. Parents stated that hearing how others worked through difficult situations while raising their child with type 1 diabetes was helpful. In quantitative analyses, parents had lower mean scores, post- vs. pre- test on measures of stress related to emotional functioning, communication, medical care, and role function. Research shows that support groups that involve the entire family are most beneficial (McBroom & Enriquez, 2009). Nurse practitioners should consider sponsoring or becoming involved in workshops for parents raising children with type 1 diabetes.