Megan Hallam and Dr. Barbara Mandleco, College of Nursing

The purpose of my study was to examine gender differences in mothers’ and fathers’ perceptions of raising a child with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus. Set in the intermountain west, the study used a qualitative descriptive approach to analyze 13 parent interviews conducted over the telephone (7 mothers and 6 fathers), which were transcribed verbatim and analyzed for themes using appropriate qualitative methodology. I created a script for the questionnaire consisting of seven main questions with additional probe questions I could use to glean more information from the interviews. After I transcribed the interviews, I grouped the answers to each question together and in relation to gender. After doing this I found commonalities in the respondent’s answers and compared each genders commonalities with the other gender.

The average duration of illness was 8.08 years, with the gender of the children with diabetes being evenly distributed. The ages of the children ranged from twelve to twenty-two. A majority of the respondents reported that they were not very familiar with diabetes at the time of their child’s diagnosis, and many stated that the period surrounding the diagnosis of their child was stressful and a time of fear. However, most parents said that the control of the child’s diabetes became easier as they became used to the routine surrounding diabetes care. Adolescence was noted as a difficult time also. This was primarily due to the stressors of diabetes being added onto the normal hormonal and behavioral changes that occur during that period.

Although both genders tended to focus on the same general issues (lifestyle considerations and glucose control), some differences existed: mothers mentioned emotional problems and the importance of emotional support, schedules, and personal research the most. Equipment problems, sports, diabetes related complications, and schoolwork were mentioned by fathers the most. Both genders stated a supportive and knowledgeable healthcare team was the greatest resource.

Prior to conducting the research, I had hypothesized that the results would vary widely according to gender. I felt this way because mothers seemed to be more involved in the care of children. However, the responses of the genders were more similar than I hypothesized, but there were still some differences indicating there are gender differences in how parents view a child’s Type 1 diabetes and its effect on families. I had also thought I would be unable to elicit as much information from the fathers, but for the most part the interviews with the fathers were of the same duration, and sometimes longer, than the interviews with the mothers.

The biggest obstacle I had in conducting this study was finding enough willing participants, especially fathers. My original sample size was 14-20 parents, but I was only able to interview thirteen parents. Although I had a large list to choose participants from, often the families were not home or forgot about appointments. The biggest way I dealt with this setback was persistence. Despite this setback, I feel that I had a sufficient sample size to be able to garner a general idea about how parents feel about raising a child with Type 1 diabetes.

Recommendations for further research include interviewing a larger, more heterogeneous sample. Many studies of this size usually include at least twenty participants. I also think that an improvement to my study would have been to conduct in-person interviews with the parents. I think that it would have yielded better results because I could see the parents’ mannerisms. I think it would also be easier to elicit more information in that setting because both parties would be more at ease. However, due to safety concerns, I conducted telephone interviews.

Implications for nursing practice include educating parents of newly diagnosed children with Type I diabetes about community resources, which can aid in coping with the diagnosis. Education about the importance of a healthy lifestyle in improving glucose control, and ways to instill this concept into the mind of the child with diabetes would also be vital.

I have applied and been accepted to present this research at the Utah Conference of Undergraduate Research. I have also applied to the National Conference of Undergraduate Research, and I am currently waiting for their reply. This research will also be the basis of my honors thesis, which will be defended in February.