Feasibility Study of a Behavioral Parent Intervention to Support Self-management in Pediatric Typ 1 Diabetes

Diabetes self-management is extensive, complex and places high demands on the affected individual and his/her family. Today, half of Swedish children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes (T1D) do not reach target levels of glycemic control. Among the various factors that influence glycemic control, family function is of great importance. Parent-child conflicts surrounding self-management tasks have been shown to predict glycemic control deterioration over time. This study will explore feasibility and preliminary effects of a new behavioral parent intervention that aims to strengthen parent-child cooperation and facilitate diabetes routines in every-day-life. The results of the feasibility study will guide further refinement of the intervention, and the design of a future RCT. Through digital ads and posters at the diabetes clinics in Stockholm, we will recruit parents of children aged 9-14 with T1D experiencing problems in getting diabetes self-management routines to work in every-day-life. The intervention is held at the hospital and includes six weekly group sessions and a booster session one month later. At the end of each session, parents plan to use a new behavioral strategy at home during the upcoming week. This feasibility study will explore participant satisfaction and attendance combined with qualitative assessments of their experiences. Preliminary effects are investigated through repeated assessments of a set of digitalized questionnaires, data from the national diabetes registry and online blood glucose data during the intervention phase, post intervention and at 3- months follow up. This intervention is believed to be an effective way to target and prevent T1D self-management problems and may come to serve as an important complement to standard diabetes treatment.