preschool child

mother

parenting style

The purpose of this study was to clarify the effects of nursing interventions focusing on the parenting style of mothers of preschool children with type 1 diabetes mellitus (DM), and intervention that attempts to strike a balance between the child's desires and the diabetic regimen, encouraging the mother to keep the child's independence in perspective. The subjects were three mothers and their children, aged 4 to 6 years, with DM. First, interventions were performed individually twice, then a session using peer support was held in a family camp. The focus was on the mothers' parenting style, and responsiveness and demand were used for assessment and directing support. The results were as follows. "Support for the emotional stability of the mother" was very important and was based on the nursing intervention. By supporting mothers' "parenting to strike a balance between the child's desires and the diabetic regimen", one mother could respond to her child's desire without giving priority to metabolic control, and another mother could become aware of the healthy diet for a preschool child. By supporting mothers' "parenting to encourage the child to do self-care", the children could cope with blood glucose monitoring and insulin administration without aversion. In addition, changes in the children's behavior had a positive influence on the mothers being able to encourage the children to take the next steps in their regimens. The findings of this study suggest that interventions focusing on parenting style were effective for mothers parenting a preschool child with DM.