Meaning in life and psychological well-being of parents of children living with diabetes

Abstract

The figures regarding children living with type 1 diabetes show that the condition is increasing at an alarming rate – approximately 1 in 400 children are diagnosed with the condition (American Academy of Pediatrics, 2015). The parents of children diagnosed with this chronic condition not only face normal developmental challenges in raising their children, but also face the added burden and stress related to an intensive diabetes management regimen. Even though the management of the condition is taxing, there are those that get it right in order to live with well-controlled diabetes. The purpose of the study was to explore the influence of diabetes management behaviours on the parental experience of meaning in life and the psychological well-being of parents of children living with well-controlled diabetes. To better understand the phenomenon, this multiple case study design study used a qualitative interpretivist approach and a purposive sample of nine parents of children (children aged 8 to 18 years) living with well-controlled diabetes. Semi-structured interviews were conducted and were transcribed verbatim. Thematic coding and analysis of the verbatim interview transcripts delivered four major themes: (1) the positive and negative impact of diabetes management behaviours on parental well-being; (2) positive beliefs about diabetes management; (3) parental-specific diabetes management behaviours and (4) positive relationships with friends, family, the medical team and social media. Although the article refers to parents collectively, all nine participants were Caucasian mothers, whose children receive their diabetes treatment at the CDE, Parktown. No fathers participated and future studies would benefit from greater paternal involvement. The influence of diabetes management behaviours on the parental experience of meaning in life and psychological well-being can clearly be seen in the review of existing literature and in the empirical results of this study. The empirical results suggest that parents with children with well-controlled diabetes experience meaning in life, despite the various challenges they face while managing the condition. These challenges start the day the child is diagnosed and it is the continuous daily management behaviours that have an impact on the parents’ meaning making process. For parents in general, raising children can be just as stressful as it is wonderful. For the parents of children living with diabetes, the impact of the condition and the management thereof is almost tangible and adds extra stress and demands to all areas of life. However, according to the results of this study, parents do experience meaning in life and an increase in psychological well-being while caring for their child living with a chronic condition. These findings emphasise the need for individualised interventions aimed towards enhancing and sustaining parental meaning in life and psychological well-being over time and through different life stages.