title: Self-compassion and trait mindfulness as protective factors of parental wellbeing when caring for a young person with type 1 diabetes.
Creators: name: Hanmer, Sarah
Publisher: name: University of Liverpool Repository
Year: 2015

description: Long Term Conditions (LTCs), such as diabetes, asthma and dementia, typically cannot be cured (NHS Confederation, 2012). The prevalence of LTCs in England is rising, with an estimated 30% of the population diagnosed with at least one LTC (NHS Confederation, 2012). LTCs not only have a huge impact on the life of the person, but also on their family and carers. Carer burden and stress have been extensively researched and systematically reviewed to date (Cousino &amp; Hazen, 2013; Etters, Goodall, &amp; Harrison, 2008; Rigby, Gubitz, &amp; Phillips, 2009), with research indicating that carer wellbeing can have a significant impact on the wellbeing of the person with a LTC, as well as on their ability to manage their condition (Whittemore, Jaser, Chao, Jang, &amp; Grey, 2012). Current recommendations, particularly following a recent systematic review by Cousino and Hazen (2013), suggest a proactive approach, focussing on what prevents or reduces carer stress, should be explored. Two psychological concepts that have increased in clinical interest in recent years are mindfulness and selfcompassion (SC). Mindfulness is the ability to remain non-judgmental, whilst paying attention in a particular way in the present moment (Kabat-Zinn, 1990); whilst SC involves showing kindness to oneself, particularly in the face of personal suffering (Neff, 2003). Whilst there has been a recent review exploring the efficacy of mindfulnessbased interventions for caregivers of people with dementia (Hurley, Patterson, &amp; Cooley, 2014), there are no reviews that explore the literature of both mindfulness and SC in carers of people with LTCs. Chapter one presents a systematic review of the quantitative literature to date, which aims to investigate the role of mindfulness and SC in carers of people with LTCs. There is extensive evidence considering parental distress as a consequence of caring for a child with a LTC (see recent review by Cousino &amp; Hazen, 2013). Mindfulness-based and compassion-based approaches are relatively new, transdiagnostic and evidence-based developments in the field of clinical psychology (Neff &amp; Germer, 2013). They may be useful interventions for family members who are also caregivers. Several quantitative cross-sectional studies have explored the constructs of trait mindfulness and SC and how they relate to wellbeing (Baer, Lykins, &amp; Peters, 2012; Hoge et al., 2013; Hollis-Walker &amp; Colosimo, 2011; Van Dam, Sheppard, Forsyth, &amp; Earleywine, 2011; Woodruff et al., 2013) but to date, no studies, to the author’s knowledge, have explored these two concepts in relation to parents or carers of people with a LTC. As type 1 diabetes (T1D) is one of the most common LTCs in children (Kelo, Eriksson, &amp; Eriksson 2013), and is at the forefront of current research, Chapter two is an empirical study from a positive clinical psychology perspective (for a review see Wood &amp; Tarrier, 2010), which aims to explore trait mindfulness and SC as predictors of wellbeing in parents of young people with T1D. This dissertation was undertaken to fulfil the research component of the Doctorate in Clinical Psychology.