Diabetes Experiences of Transition from Childhood to Adulthood Care

Abstract

AIM: The present study was conducted to explain the perception of diabetic people about the transition of diabetes care from childhood to adulthood. METHOD: This study with the hermeneutic phenomenology approach was conducted on 10 young people with type 1 diabetes with a history of childhood diabetes. They were selected through purposive sampling. Data were collected by semi-structured interviews until data saturation was reached. Then, data analysis was performed according to Dickelman’s method. COREQ criteria for reporting qualitative research were used. RESULTS: Three main themes of tedious marathons (laborious transition, constant do’s and don’ts), unprepared transition (insufficient education, emotional exhaustion), and green sugar motivation (friendship with diabetes, beyond care, peer-seeking, freedom from dependencies) resulted from data analysis. CONCLUSION: The findings of this study indicated the importance and necessity of planning and preparing patients with type 1 diabetes for the transition of care from childhood to adulthood, and the importance of emotional support during this transition.