The Psychological Burden of Families with Diabetic Children: A Literature Review Focusing on Quality of Life and Stress

Abstract

Chronic diseases, such as childhood diabetes mellitus (DM), are a complex and continuous struggle as well as a great challenge both for the children who face the disease and for their parents. DM is characterized by the complex management of therapeutic treatments, thus causing physical and psychological complications infamily members. There are many families who, upon hearing the diagnosis of their child with DM, stand still in front of these new facts as their lives change. All these unprecedented conditions cause parents intense stress and discomfort, leading them to a mental burden, as the only thing that concerns them upon diagnosis is how the family will survive in the face of the current conditions they are experiencing as well as the future of the sick child. The purpose of this brief literature review is to present the research findings related to the psychological burden of families withchildren with DM, focusing on the quality of life and stress.

Keywords

• diabetes mellitus
• parents
• children
• adolescents
• quality of life
• stress