I Don't Have the Choice to Burnout; Experiences of Parents of Children with Type 1 Diabetes

Aim: The purpose of the study was to explore the description of diabetes burnout in parents of children with type 1 diabetes (T1D).

Background: Parents of children with T1D struggle to balance diabetes management and typical parenting challenges, which may lead to diabetes burnout. Although diabetes burnout is a familiar concept in public forum and diabetes literature, science on diabetes burnout in parents is lacking.

Methods: In this qualitative descriptive study, a systematic approach was used to search existing relevant YouTube videos about diabetes burnout produced by parents of children with T1D. Verbatim transcripts of 21 videos meeting inclusion criteria were analyzed using a qualitative content analysis approach. To summarize video characteristics, descriptive statistics were used.

Results: It identifies four primary themes related to diabetes burnout in this population: "exhaustion compounded by stress," "powerlessness to control diabetes," "grief for the loss of a normal life," and "coping strategies."

Conclusion: The findings of this study may serve to clarify how parents of children with T1D may experience diabetes burnout. The findings may also inform diabetes care and illuminate the role of social media in improving family center support.