Parents of Children Newly Diagnosed with T1DM: Experiences with Social Support and Family Management: A Dissertation

Abstract

The purpose of this mixed-methods descriptive study with parents of children newly diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes was to explore their experiences with peer social support following the Social Support to Empower Parents (STEP) intervention and to examine the usefulness of the Family Management Measure (FaMM) in this population. The specific aims were to describe parents' experiences with the STEP social support intervention, describe parents' day-to-day diabetes management as measured by the FaMM, describe the relationship between parental management scores in the six FaMM dimensions and the social support intervention dose used, and explore FaMM scores in relationship to parent satisfaction with the STEP social support intervention. Identified themes of availability, practical tips, and common ground resonated throughout the interviews with parents and reflected Ireys' emotional, informational, and affirmational social support framework. Regardless of the intervention dose, number of parent mentor contacts, or scores on the FaMM scales, all parents interviewed when questioned, gave a 5/5 for satisfaction with the STEP RCT, qualitatively underscoring the positive effect of the intervention.