A nurses' perspective on life satisfaction of parents of children with type 1 diabetes mellitus.

Introduction: Parental involvement in a child's self-monitoring and treatment, including challenges encountered during treatment, influences the life satisfaction of caregivers of children with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM). Aim: This study aimed to assess the level of life satisfaction among parents of children with T1DM and to examine the impact of selected sociodemographic and medical factors on life satisfaction. Materials and methods: The study was conducted between September 1 Results: A total of 327 parents of children with T1DM participated in the study. The mean ages of mothers and fathers were 41.5 ± 6.6 years and 44.1 ± 7.1 years, respectively, and the average age of the children was 11.8 ± 3.9 years. The mean duration of diabetes was 5.47 ± 3.62 years. The median SWLS sten score was 6.0 (4.0÷7.0). Higher life satisfaction was observed among professionally active fathers, parents living in nuclear families, and parents reporting a very good financial situation. Parents of children with T1DM who consulted a psychologist, psychotherapist, or psychiatrist reported lower life satisfaction. Conclusions: The life satisfaction of parents of children with T1DM was average. The parents of children with T1DM who have lower life satisfaction more likely to seek psychological support. The study demonstrated the influence of the roles of family members (mother vs. father), the father's employment status, family structure, and the family's financial status on life satisfaction. Independent sociodemographic factors were parent/caregiver and family financial status. Given the complexity of T1DM management, multidisciplinary support is essential for both children and their families. Efforts should be made to protect the mental health of children with T1DM and their parents. Facilitated access to specialist care should be prioritized. Nurses should develop family-centered care plans and work to reduce factors that negatively affect the life satisfaction of children and their families. The current parental life satisfaction score is important in providing daily care for children with T1DM. If the parental life satisfaction is low, the family should be provided with psychological support. Nurses should actively cooperate with psychologists, psychotherapists, and social workers in caring for children with T1DM, and should also inform caregivers on the current methods of support for families of children with chronic diseases. Up-to-date parental life satisfaction should be assessed during follow-up visits with educational nurses (diabetes educators) at the Diabetes Clinic. The development and implementation of a screening questionnaire would be a valuable component of nursing care planning for children with T1DM and their parents, as it would enable the rapid identification of the needs of both children and their parents (e.g., regarding education, emotional support, and caregiving). This would facilitate comprehensive, family-centered, and personalized care, while helping to prevent caregiver burnout, and improve the quality of family functioning in their home environment. These measures would support the individualization of care plans, enable early crisis intervention, and improve communication between parents and healthcare professionals. Healthcare professionals play a key role in identifying parental difficulties and ensuring specialized care for those most in need. A holistic and systemic approach that addresses both physical and mental health is crucial for improving the outcomes, self-monitoring results, and treatment of T1DM in children and adolescents, as well as for improving the quality of life of children and their parents.