The school experiences of children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes in Western Australia

Abstract

Children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes (T1D) spend a significant portion of their day at school. It is therefore important that schools provide a safe and flexible environment for disease management and psychosocial support. Little is known of the school experiences of children and adolescents with T1D in Western Australia. The aim of this research was to describe the mental health and school experiences of children and adolescents with T1D attending mainstream schools in Western Australia. Using an online questionnaire, 92 parents of children and adolescents with T1D were surveyed. The results suggest elevated levels of emotional difficulties among school students with T1D and variable levels of support from school staff to assist these students to manage their diabetes at school. Increasing teacher knowledge to provide more individualised support and enhancing the quality of communication between parents and school staff may be useful strategies to support the physical and emotional needs of children and adolescents with T1D at school.