Parents' worries about life problems of adolescent girls with diabetes: A qualitative study

Parents participation in management of diabetes has
been recognized to be beneficent. Recognizing parents' worries should be
addressed to plan effective health promoting programs. This study aimed to
explore parents' worries about life problems of adolescent girls with
diabetes.
Methods & Materials: In this qualitative study, 26 parents (16 mothers and
10 fathers) of adolescent girls with type 1 diabetes were recruited using
purposive sampling from the Diabetes Society in west Azerbaijan. Data
were collected using in-depth and semi-structured interviews. Analysis of
the transcripts was guided by qualitative content analysis.
Results: Qualitative content analysis demonstrated three original categories
from parents' worries: 1) worries about the future; 2) worries about the
treatments; and 3) worries about the society.
Conclusion: Better perception of parents' concerns may promote effective
communication between health professionals and parents. Modification of
parents' personal control and perceived threat through appropriate
educational programs that acknowledge and address their concerns may be a
means of empowering parents