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Research Project: Preventing the Development of Childhood Obesity

Location: Children's Nutrition Research Center

Title: "Always on call": Parent experiences having a child with type 1 diabetes (T1D) in school

Author
item DURAN, BRENDA - Baylor College Of Medicine
item BAUDINO, MARISSA - Baylor College Of Medicine
item ANDERSON, BARBARA - Baylor College Of Medicine
item Thompson, Deborah - Debbe
item MARRERO, DAVID - University Of Arizona
item HILLIARD, MARISA - Baylor College Of Medicine

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/7/2022
Publication Date: 3/30/2023
Citation: Duran, B.J., Baudino, M.N., Anderson, B.J., Thompson, D.J., Marrero, D.G., Hilliard, M.E. 2023. "Always on call": Parent experiences having a child with type 1 diabetes (T1D) in school [abstract]. Society of Pediatric Psychology Annual Conference. March 30-April 1, 2023; Chicago, IL. Poster Presentation.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: When youth with T1D are at school, parents must rely on school personnel for their child's safety and supervision of T1D management, who may or may not have in-depth T1D knowledge. Because little is known about this experience, we assessed parents' perceptions about their child with T1D in a school setting. These data will help guide future research and development of clinical strategies to support psychosocial and educational well-being for families of youth with T1D. Parents (n=23) of youth (ages 5-17) with T1D completed semi-structured qualitative interviews as part of a larger study about T1D health-related quality of life. School-related questions were: 1) How is diabetes managed when your child is in school?, 2) How does your child's diabetes management at school influence you personally on a daily basis, if at all?, and 3) What would you say makes diabetes management harder in school? We used thematic analysis to code and interpret transcripts with NVivo software. We identified two themes, each with sub-themes. Parent Behaviors included actions parents engaged in to keep their child safe at school (e.g., providing T1D education, advocating for accommodations) and changes they made to their activities to be available for T1D needs during the school day (e.g., employment). Parent Emotions included parents' positive (e.g., gratitude) and negative (e.g., frustration, worry) feelings related to their child's T1D experiences at school. Parents reported concerns about and actions they took to ensure their child's safety. Families from marginalized groups or with fewer socio-economic resources may face barriers to being able to advocate for their child's needs in the school setting or make flexible employment arrangements, adding to health equity barriers. Pediatric psychologists are well-suited to support parents by facilitating communication between medical teams and schools to promote optimal T1D care.