Managing children with diabetes within the family: Entering into the Diabetes Orbit

BACKGROUND: Diabetes is the disease of family and parents of children with diabetes face different problems which concerns meeting the developmental needs of children and daily control of children with diabetes. This article aims to explain how to manage diabetes around the child’s life within the family. METHODS: In this qualitative study, data was collected through semi-structured interview technique and was analyzed using Grounded Theory approach. The process of data collection was carried out by purposeful sampling. The participants included 13 individuals from nine families (11 parents and two children with diabetes). The research environment was health centers in Iran providing care to the families of children with diabetes. Data analysis was performed using Corbin and Strauss approach. Data was analyzed with using MAXQDA software (version 10). RESULTS: The core category of “Entering into the Orbit of Diabetes” addresses the story of how to keep track of managing children with diabetes within the family which included Main categories “bitter taste of sugar”, “drawing coordinates of diabetes”, and “taking control of diabetes”. CONCLUSION: The outcome of “enter into the orbit of diabetes” results capturing the control of diabetes. The findings of the present study may play an integral part to help households with practicing appropriate strategies for the management of children with diabetes.