Pregnancy and early motherhood in Type 1 diabetes (T1D)
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Exploring the psychological experiences of the perinatal period in people with Type 1 diabetes (T1D)
IRAS ID
347070
Contact name
Megan Tongs
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Surrey
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 5 months, 1 days
Research summary
People with Type 1 diabetes (T1D) can experience healthy and safe pregnancies, however, they are at an increased risk of experiencing difficulties during pregnancy and birth compared to the general population. Without the appropriate health management, there is a risk of serious health complications both for mothers with T1D and their children.
Despite research suggesting that the perinatal period can present significant psychosocial demands for people with T1D, a large proportion of the literature medicalises this journey and places emphasis on the physical health of mothers and their children. As few studies have investigated the psychosocial needs of people with T1D during the perinatal period, this project will use mixed methods to explore the psychosocial experiences of people with T1D in their pregnancy and transition to motherhood, across 3 studies:
Study 1: 6-10 individuals with T1D who are currently pregnant will be invited to take part in a 4-week daily diary study. This will involve writing a daily diary, with the use of prompts, to capture the day-to-day experiences of pregnancy with T1D.
Study 2: 136 people who are currently pregnant, 68 with T1D (clinical condition) and 68 without T1D (control condition) will be recruited to take part in an online survey about their experiences of pregnancy and childbirth expectations and the factors which have influenced this. Data will be collected through a validated fear of childbirth questionnaire, closed questions about background and psychosocial factors and diabetes management, and open-ended questions about their current pregnancy experience.
Study 3: 6-10 individuals with T1D who have given birth within the past 18 months will be invited to take part in a photovoice study. This will involve them taking photographs depicting their experience of new motherhood with T1D over a 2-week period, then attending an online interview with the researcher to discuss these photographs.
REC name
South Central - Hampshire A Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
24/SC/0319
Date of REC Opinion
11 Oct 2024
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion