Psychodrama: helping families to adapt to childhood diabetes

Abstract

Effective management of diabetes in children requires a holistic approach that takes into account the roles of diabetes education, treatment and disease management, and the integral role of family relationships. Psychodrama is a group-based psychological support technique that aims to improve the acceptance and understanding of diabetes within the families of diagnosed children. Through group improvisation, role plays and feedback sessions, the families of children with diabetes participate in a cathartic process that helps them to share their problems, benefit from others’ insight and feedback and to discuss behavioural changes that will avoid similar problems in the future. The families that participated in this study reported an enhanced understanding of the contribution that relationships with their children have on the successful management of their diabetes.Through recognition of the reasons for their anxieties about their children’s diabetes, they were able to address fixed behavioural patterns in a supportive, non-judgmental arena, and to work towards positive change. Their children benefited indirectly through changes in their parents’ behaviour and improved communication within their families. A reduction in the children’s HbA1c levels was observed through the course of the study, although this could not be considered a direct result of psychodrama