| Description |
Diabetes is a significant health issue in the United States. Living with diabetes can be very stressful for children and adolescents. As such, children with diabetes may need support from medical professionals, and to be taught ways to cope with the stress of their illness. A Certified Child Life Specialist (CCLS) is a member of the pediatric health care team whose job is to respond to the psychosocial needs of children and help them cope. The goal of the present study was to determine what role CCLSs may play in the management of pediatric diabetes. Data were collected at the Diabetes Clinic at Primary Children’s Hospital from parents of children ages 5+ years, and children and adolescents 10+ years. Participants completed questionnaires addressing demographic information, the stress children with diabetes were experiencing, how much help with coping pediatric diabetes patients and their families desired, and the services they would like to receive. The majority of children needed help coping with their diabetes. Most parents did not know about the role of a CCLS before taking the survey, and there was a gap between the child life services families desired and those they received. The results of this study indicate that most children need at least some assistance coping with stress associated with their diabetes. Due to the fact that the majority of parents did not know about CCLSs, greater awareness of the profession needs to be promoted. Gaps existed for all of the child life services, with services being desired that were not being received. This gap provides an opportunity for CCLSs to address the need for services. |
