This qualitative study of the MINDS OHP identified two key themes - program experiences and lived experiences with T1DM, which have implications for informing program development, reach and impact. We found that though the program was on the whole well regarded by participants there were some areas identified requiring improvement, especially in regard to the needs of family members and adolescence as a critical time-point. These findings highlight a gap in routine T1DM care, and provide valuable insights into how the MINDS OHP could be improved to best fill the gap. They also have broader implications for the integration of interventions such as MINDS OHP into routine and earlier clinical practice, ideally in primary care, and the role of health professionals such general practitioners and diabetes educators.
Participants praised the broader perspective offered by the MINDS OHP, consistent with the literature regarding paucity of comprehensive interventions addressing mental health in T1DM [2]. However, there were also some logistical issues raised about the program, such as access from rural and remote areas, and suggestions that sessions could be facilitated via phone or home visitation to improve outreach. This has since been addressed, with phone-based sessions being offered to participants, reflecting the program’s ability to continually adapt according to feedback. Similarly, participants suggested that a list of mental health professionals who were familiar with diabetes could be made available, which has also now been addressed. Some participants suggested enhancement of the program by involving diabetes educators in session formulation, and better training facilitators in T1DM management.
An unexpected facet of the interviews was the participant use of the focus group as a peer support environment, and participants suggesting that the program itself could include a group component to enable this. This emphasis on psychosocial support is consistent with the literature on T1DM [1], and perhaps reflects a tendency for participants to discuss their experiences following program completion, or to communicate their individual stories to contextualise their program experiences. In regard to lived experiences, the interlinking of mental health and diabetes was repeatedly emphasised, consistent with the literature [3]. Participants highlighted the importance of bridging the gap between mental health care and diabetes care through targeted psychoeducation sessions and diabetes educators, again an issue consistent other findings [19]. Participant feedback highlighted the rich diversity of lived experiences among those with diabetes, and reinforced the importance of viewing those with T1DM as unique individuals, each within their own social context.
Stigma was also identified as a key issue, with associated shame and fear of disclosure, due to misperceptions of T1DM and moralistic societal ideas of personal guilt impressed upon them. This finding echoes those from other studies that stigma is a notably negative experience of many people with diabetes [1], though many participants also acknowledged that societal awareness of T1DM has improved over time.
Our findings are in agreement with other studies [8] that found adolescents experience unique challenges with diabetes in the transition to adulthood as they navigate educational and relational milestones. Participants agreed that teenagers were likely to be overwhelmed and stressed by their diabetes diagnosis and management [7], and expressed that they would have liked the MINDS OHP to have been available soon after they were diagnosed, but also that the program could be offered flexibly according to individual needs rather than at a standardised time after diagnosis.
A dual aim of this study was to explore whether the program be adapted to support family members. Most participants praised the support they received from their families, and identified parents and partners as key supports for people with diabetes, with parents being particularly impacted by management issues and associated stress related to their child’s T1DM, consistent with other findings [7]. This reflected the perceived need for greater support for family members already identified within the literature, and which participants believed could be provided by the program [9, 10].
Participant experiences regarding family members also highlight a continuing clinical gap. The literature notes that family members are often impacted by their loved one’s T1DM, but their experiences are often not addressed routinely. This study therefore provides specific suggestions for how the program could address the needs of family members, including supportive counselling, education, and involvement in selected program sessions.
Finally, the suggestions regarding extended follow-up could assist in reinforcing learning from the program, whilst the potential for group discussion could serve as an important psychosocial support system for those with T1DM. Suggestions to involve family members and health professionals in sessions could also assist in wider education for the support networks of people with diabetes. As a result, those participanting in the MINDS OHP could be more empowered and supported to take responsibility of their health and control of their T1DM, with the likely long-term benefits to overall health and quality of life.
4.1 Strengths and Limitations
Strengths of this study include the use of qualitative research methods which are becoming more recognized and valued in diabetes behavioural research [1, 16, 19]. The use of such research methods has elicited a breadth of participant experiences, with resultant data richness and diversity. The three-pronged validation process used in the data analysis procedure also ensured appropriate rigour and minimised potential bias. However, variance in data collection methods, focus groups versus interviews, may have influenced the type of data obtained, both with pro’s and con’s. Integrating participant responses from both may have led to a combination of in-depth and real-world data not acquired by using one method alone. For the purpose of this study, both were used dependent on logistics; the capacity of participants to physically attend either focus group or interview. It is also unclear whether these findings would be applicable to other ethnic and cultural groups, as the participants in this study were ethnically homogeneous. An alternative form of qualitative analysis such as framework analysis could have been used, but we decided against this due to the potential for bias of reported experiences.
This study provides pointers for future research, including potential adaptation of the program to incorporate families and carers, and exploring the specific impact of T1DM upon adolescents and how MINDS OHP could address this population more overtly. Other suggestions for future research include increasing involvement of diabetes educators in program conception and facilitation. By doing so, MINDS OHP could be offered as a routine component of a holistic package delivered early after the diagnosis of T1DM, ideally in primary diabetes care. This could include the program being introduced to newly-diagnosed T1DM patients by their general practitioner, probably with input from a diabetes educator and practice nurse to review and monitor progress.