Experiences of Parent Coaches in an Intervention for Parents of Young Children Newly Diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes

Objectives: This paper explores parent coaching experiences supporting parents of young children newly diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in a clinical trial. Methods: In a trial for 157 parents, those in the intervention arm (n = 116) were paired with a parent coach (n = 37; Mage = 37.9 years, SD = 3.9; 94.6% mothers, 81.1% White non-Hispanic). Parent coaches provided diabetes-specific social support. Parent coaches completed monthly surveys and satisfaction/feasibility surveys, with a subset (n = 7) undergoing qualitative interviews at the end of this study. Results: There were 2262 contacts between participants and their parent coaches, averaging 14.4 (SD = 9.3) per participant. Parent coaches reported that the most commonly used methods were text messages (67.9%) and emails (18.7%), with 33.6% having in-person visits. Coaches reported high satisfaction and belief in their usefulness to participants during the first 9 months after T1D diagnosis. Themes discussed by parent coaches about their experience in mentoring included relationship building, expertise sharing, personal growth, gratification, and intervention optimization suggestions. Conclusions: Parent coaching post T1D diagnosis involves regular, multi-method contacts. It is highly acceptable and valuable for parent coaches to mentor other parents of young children newly diagnosed with T1D.