Kicking in Diabetes Support (KIDS) Intervention Effects: Parent Reports of Diabetes Management

Objectives: The Kicking In Diabetes Support (KIDS) Project is a semistructured multifamily group therapy (MGT) intervention for adolescents who have type 1 diabetes (T1D) and their parents, which incorporates both peer support and family systems processes to improve diabetes management skills. The p...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Clinical practice in pediatric psychology 2021-06, Vol.9 (2), p.135-144
Main Authors: Kichler, Jessica C., Kaugars, Astrida S.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent Psychology
Diabetes
Disease Management
Family
Family Intervention
Female
Group Psychotherapy
Health Care Utilization
Human
Male
Parent Report
Parents
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Summary:Objectives: The Kicking In Diabetes Support (KIDS) Project is a semistructured multifamily group therapy (MGT) intervention for adolescents who have type 1 diabetes (T1D) and their parents, which incorporates both peer support and family systems processes to improve diabetes management skills. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the clinical utility of this intervention by examining parent perspectives and health-related outcomes. Methods: Adolescents and their parents participated in the 8-session (6 core sessions and 2 booster follow-up sessions at 2 and 4 months) intervention in 1 of 8 waves of the group administration over a four-year period. Parents completed self-report measures (e.g., readiness to change behaviors, self-management, and responsibility in T1D management) at baseline, posttreatment, and follow-up. A medical chart review documented health care utilization and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels. Results: Of the 38 families that completed baseline assessments, 20 families had parent self-report measures for all 3 timepoints. There were significant improvements in parents' reports of readiness to change behaviors and self-management. There was variability in reports of parent-adolescent division of T1D responsibility across the 3 timepoints. In addition, adolescent HbA1c levels, the number of clinic visits, and emergency room utilization were significantly reduced over time. Conclusions: The results of this study suggest that parents are amenable to a MGT intervention for adolescents with T1D conducted in a clinical setting. Further, there are sustained improvements in the parent-child interactional processes related to T1D management, glycemic levels, and health care utilization during an often-difficult developmental period. Implications for Impact StatementThe present study suggests that from a parent perspective, a multifamily group intervention for adolescents with type 1 diabetes and their parents may be helpful in improving family process constructs (such as shifting responsibility for diabetes care and self-management) and adolescents' health-related outcomes (such as glycemic levels and health care utilization). This brief diabetes group intervention may be able to be incorporated into a variety of clinical settings, used within different diabetes subpopulations (such as with adolescents recently diagnosed with diabetes), and adapted to various types of diabetes treatment regimens.
ISSN:2169-4826
2169-4834
DOI:10.1037/cpp0000395