Parents' experience of caring for children with type 1 diabetes in mainland China: A qualitative study

BACKGROUND: Parents of children with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) are under heavy caregiving stress, and parental caregivers' experience can affect the health outcomes of children with T1DM. AIM: To describe the true inner feelings of parents caring for children with T1DM. METHODS: Descriptive research methods were used to classify and summarize parents' experience when adapting to the role of caregivers for children with T1DM. The data was sorted and analyzed using content analysis. Themes of parents' experience caring for children with T1DM were refined, and their feelings were deeply investigated. RESULTS: A total of 4 themes and 12 subthemes were identified: (1) Desire for information (disease-related information, home care information, and channels of information acquisition); (2) Skill guidance needs (insulin injection techniques, skills required for symptom management, and skills for parent-child communication); (3) Seeking emotional support (family support, peer support from other parents of children with T1DM, and professional support); and (4) Lack of social support (needs for financial support and needs for social security). CONCLUSION: Exploring the true experience of parents caring for children with T1DM is of great significance for helping them adapt to their role as caregivers. Nurses should provide professional guidance in terms of information, skills, emotion, and social support to parental caregivers.