Attitude of mothers towards the problems of their diabetic children

Abstract

Introduction: Diabetic children form 3% of the total number of diabetic patients in the world. In fact, one out of each 2500 children in the world suffers from diabetes mellitus. This rapid increase in the number of diabetic children has astounded the health experts. Since childhood years are critical in life, affliction to debate can have grave consequences for the patients in addition to the social and family problems.

Methods: The present study was an evaluation of the problems of diabetic children and preadolescents, seen by their mothers. Fifty mothers whose children and preadolescent children had diabetes mellitus and were between seven to fifteen years formed the subjects of this research. These subjects were selected randomly. The data were collected through a four-section questionnaire, which was scored by the researcher. Reliability and validity of the questionnaire were established through test-retest method and content-validation procedure. The data were then subjected to descriptive as well as inferential statistics. Chi-square and t-test methods were used to see if the correlation among the variables was significant.

Results: The obtained data indicated that males and females equally suffer from diabetes mellitus. The most noteworthy problems were hypoglycemia, hyperglycemia and infectious problems. Nocturia was the most frequent urinary problem and aggression was the most frequent reported psychological problem. No one was absent from school for more than two days in a month. Developing acute diabetic status formed the most important educational need. Significant differences were seen in age and body mass index, and general problems such as the length of the disease and eagerness to participate in school activities.

Conclusion: The study showed that children and adolescents with diabetes mellitus suffer from health, educational, and psychological problems and need educational, social and economic support in order to take proper control of the disease in an acceptable way