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


CONCLUSIONS
Assisting parents with the unique challenges of diabetes management in young children through implementation of a structured intervention is promising.


CONCLUSIONS
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.
Monaghan
Maureen
M
Department of Psychology, Clinical Research Institute, Children's National Medical Center, Washington, DC 20010, USA. mmonagha@cnmc.org
Hilliard
Marisa E
ME
Cogen
Fran R
FR
Streisand
Randi
R
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000523:psychology*; D019468:Disease Management; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D016487:Parenting / Q000523:psychology; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011368:Professional-Family Relations; D011594:Psychometrics; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology; D012944:Social Support; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013689:Telephone