Social Support Levels in Children with Type 1 Diabetes or Epilepsy

Abstract

Background: Studies on children and adolescents living with different chronic diseases show the importance of social support to face the disease. Social support affects the course of the disease in children with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus (T1DM) or epilepsy. Objectives: This study was conducted to determine the level of social support of children with T1DM or epilepsy. Methods: The sample consisted of a total of 100 children aged 11 - 17, including 50 diabetes and 50 epilepsy patients. No sample calculation was made in the study. The study was completed with 100 children who met the inclusion criteria. The data of the study were collected by the researchers in the hospital environment between April and October 2017 using the Child Introductory Form and the Child-Adolescent Social Support Scale (CASSS). Results: Children with epilepsy had lower social support scores than children with T1DM when the scores of the children on the subscales of CASSS were examined. As the ages of all children participating in the study decreased, the obtained importance of social support scores increased. Conclusions: It may be proposed to know the social support levels of children with epilepsy or type 1 diabetes and plan nursing interventions to increase their awareness.