Identifying the Care Factors of Children with Diabetes Based on the Lived Experiences of Their Mothers: Phenomenological Research

What is important in the treatment of a chronic disease such as diabetes is to improve the patient's quality of life in addition to control the symptoms of the disease. The trouble that a child with a chronic disease such as diabetes imposes is a problem that cannot be recognized only from the doctor's point of view and depends on what the mother of the sick child feels. Therefore, it seems necessary to identify the care factors of children with diabetes. In this research, the aim was to identify the care factors of children with diabetes based on the lived experiences of their mothers.

Methods and Materials:

 This study was conducted using a qualitative method and a phenomenological approach. The participants were 16 mothers with diabetic children whose information was collected through a semi-structured interview. Sampling was done in a purposeful way and the data was analyzed by the Colaizzi method.

The findings obtained in 3 main themes and 6 sub-themes including individual characteristics (psychological-physical functioning and emotional-social functioning), family (interpersonal interactions and psychological and social problems), educational issues (concerns and needs) classification became.

The results of the present study showed that knowing the care factors in children with diabetes can provide the basis for adopting supportive and therapeutic measures for them.