Introduction
Diabetes mellitus{DM} is broadly divided into two categories, the type I and type II diabetes and they are all categorized based on the levels of blood sugar found in the body. About 24 million people in the US are suffering from diabetes and unfortunately it’s estimated that about one-third of this group do not know they have the condition. In 2000, diabetes mellitus was rated the sixth leading cause of mortality in the US and the heart diseases rated number one among the deaths from diabetic related causes. DM can result in serious complications if not take good care of like blindness among young adults, kidney problems and in some cases mild nervous system damage. The objective of the peer group education and involvement in management of adolescents with type 1 diabetes was to formulate and implement an ordered intervention program that would integrate peers into diabetes care in an adaptive manner.
Adolescents with Diabetes
Adolescents suffering from diabetes usually experience difficulties in their physical, emotional and social stress emerging from the complex medication regimen they have to comply with. Due to this, they usually fail to comply with these demands and research has shown that the highest level on noncompliance happens in mid adolescence (Pendley 2002, p. 433). This is the stage where there are increased developmental changes as well. As adolescents cut reliance on parents, they tend to shift their dependence on friends and peers for support and especially for behavior (Thomas et al, 1997, p. 552). Even through peers are associated with negative influence, they can be very beneficial in offering the required social support to their friends suffering from type 1 diabetes. It is likely that peers can offer companion and emotional support than the family members can do (Thomas et al, 1997, p. 552). The group-based problem solving strategies work well for adolescents with diabetes especially when the peers interact often even outside the group like at school.
After the implementation of the program, the results showed that the adolescents and their friends or peers had gained adequate knowledge of the condition and demonstrated greater support (Greco et al, 2001, p. 487). The friends demonstrated better appreciation of the condition and even self perception. There was also reduced parent conflict because of the diabetes related concerns.
The Intervention
Under this program, adolescents paired with their friends to attend educative session for 2 hours. They were taught and trained by licensed psychologists regarding social support. The education followed a detailed treatment manual that contain instructive presentations, handouts, assignments and activities for every session (Thomas et al, 1997, p. 554). The consistency of the trained was maintained by phone consultation among the groups. Incentives were given upon successful completion of the program and this cheered the participants to carry on to the end.
The education session emphasized on topics like etiology, diagnosis, physiology and intervention of DM type one. The second session concentrated on the reflective listening capacity of the adolescents and taught problems identification and problem solving skills that could be applied to relevant cases (Greco et al, 2001, p. 485). Session three put the participants to practice by applying the problem solving skill to diabetes –related conditions. More emphasis was put on the need to complete the diabetes medication regimen (Greco et al, 2001, p. 485). The last session however, concentrated on the processes of stress management, how stress is related to diabetes and the means of mitigating the impact of stress on the DM condition.
The Outcomes
The results of the intervention program were very encouraging because, it was discovered that adolescent peers can be a positive influence to each other and support the diabetes treatment more effectively (Wysocki et al 2000, p. 23). The intervention managed to build strong self perception among the diabetic adolescents and improve peer knowledge regarding the medication (Thomas et al, 1997, p. 555). The intervention also helped to improve the peer’s knowledge concerning diabetes and stress, the need for social support and influence of peers. This finding was very crucial because it’s an early indication of the authenticity of intervention program (Greco et al, 2001, p. 489).
The effect that peer group had on the process of intervention was significant and correlated with improved compliance to medication regimen (Pendley 2002, p. 431). Parents reported that their children followed the medication regimen well. There was considerable decrease in the conflicts related to following medication and there was better adaptability among family members (Greco et al, 2001, p. 491). These results however, set in motion the need to investigate whether peer involvement in diabetes therapy should be used to alleviate pressure of diabetes care on families (Wysocki et al 2000, p. 25).
There are more positive consequences of peer involvement in intervention of diabetes as shown by improved self perception of individuals, and better adherence to therapy. This has also instigated the need to investigate the roles of the receiver and provider of the peer social support to assess the correlation (Greco et al, 2001, p. 489). These findings have to be investigated in the light of some of the limitations the study had. For instance, the sample used was very small and the follow up period was quite short. These factors could have hindered detection of statistically significant effects of the treatment.
Conclusion
There has been increasing attention towards the need for psychologists to encourage efficient, accessible and reasonable therapies especially the types that enhance or prevent psychological and physical harm. The findings in this case involve an intervention process that concentrate on facilitating peer involvement in adolescents suffering from diabetic mellitus as an instrument of promoting health in a manner regarded as developmentally correct.
Reference List
Greco, P. et al. (2001). A Peer Group Intervention for Adolescents with Type 1 Diabetes and Their Best Friends, J Pediatr Psychol, 26 (8): 485-490.
Pendley, J.S. (2002). Peer And Family Support In Children And Adolescents With Type 1 Diabetes, J. Pediatr. Psychol, 27 (5): 429-438.
Thomas, A. M., Peterson, L., & Goldstein, D. (1997). Problem Solving and Diabetes Regimen Adherence by Children and Adolescents with IDDM in Social Pressure Situations: A Reflection of Normal Development, Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 22, 541-561.
Wysocki, T et al. (2000). Randomized, Controlled Trial of Behavior Therapy for Families of Adolescents with Insulin-Dependent Diabetes Mellitus, Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 25, 23-33