Abstract
The purposes of this study were: 1) to investigate the lifestyle of parents with diabetic children, and 2) to explore the relationships between diabetic children's health habits, self-care behaviors, and the lifestyle of their parents.
The subjects were 46 pairs of diabetic children aged 6 to 18 and their parents (42 mothers and 4 fathers) in three pediatric diabetic clinics. Diabetic children completed two questionnaires regarding health habits and self-care behaviors. Their parents completed a questionnaire regarding lifestyle which consisted of 8 categories of health habits, health responsibilities, self-actualization, daily hassles, stress management, positive and negative parenting attitudes, and disease-related stresses.
Significant correlations were found between parent's health responsibilities and self-actualization, health responsibilities and stress management, positive parenting attitudes and self-actualization, and positive parenting attitudes and stress management. Those parents who“wake up bright and fresh”correlated with several categories of parents' lifestyles. A total score of health habits of diabetic children was correlated with parents' bedtime and tooth brushing. Good self-care behaviors of diabetic children were related to parents' high self-actualization, low disease-related stresses, positive parenting attitudes, waking up bright and fresh, bedtime and hand washing after coming home.
The findings of this study suggested that nursing interventions for parents of diabetic children would be: 1) to increase attention to their own health and positive parenting attitudes to diabetic children, 2) to decrease daily hassles and disease related stresses, 3) to improve bedtime and hygienic behaviors which could be a life model for their children.
