Exploring involvement of father figures in the management of type 1 diabetes in their children : a rapid review

Abstract

Type 1 diabetes is a chronic condition common in children and is becoming more prominent as numbers are expected to double by 2030 (World Health Organization, 2016). Managing type 1 diabetes is challenging as it requires a rigorous daily regimen to follow. It becomes even more challenging for children to manage type 1 diabetes because they may not understand the intricacies that the care regimen requires. Family members and parents of children with type 1 diabetes therefore play a key role in diabetes management. Diabetes literature, however, identified mothers as the primary parent reporters in managing the daily tasks of the child. Little is known about fathers’ involvement in management (Shorer et al., 2011). Father involvement in diabetes management has been identified as an understudied topic. The aim of this study was to investigate the involvement of fathers in managing their child’s type 1 diabetes. The study was guided by the following three sub-questions: (1) Are fathers involved in the management of their child’s type 1 diabetes?; (2) How are fathers involved in the management of their child’s type 1 diabetes?; and (3) Which factors contribute to fathers’ involvement in the management of their child’s type 1 diabetes? A rapid review was the method chosen to conduct this study. The North-West University database was used as the main engine to search for articles that would be used for this review. A comprehensive electronic search was conducted, which yielded 170 results. Articles were taken through a rigorous selection process, which was facilitated by the researcher and supervisor. This process entailed inclusion criteria and a critical appraisal, whereafter eight articles were finally included for review. The findings from the eight articles were extracted and captured in table format. Data analysis was conducted through thematic synthesis in order to analyse the findings. Three themes were identified from the findings and are as follows: (1) Involvement in diabetes management tasks; (2) Support in diabetes management; and (3) Involvement in creating diabetes awareness. The review yielded limited yet valuable findings and showed that fathers are involved in managing type 1 diabetes in their children. The findings also showed that fathers were directly involved in specific diabetes tasks, with the task they performed the most being blood glucose monitoring