Is Staff Consistency Important to Parents’ Satisfaction in a Longitudinal Study of Children at Risk for Type 1 Diabetes: The TEDDY Study

Background: Participants’ study satisfaction is important for both study compliance and retention, but research on parental study satisfaction is rare. The aim of the study was to identify factors associated with parent study satisfaction in a longitudinal, multinational study of children at risk for type 1 diabetes, with a particular focus on the role of staff consistency. Methods: : Mother and father study satisfaction was measured at child-age 15 months (5579 mothers and 4942 fathers) and child-age four years (4010 mothers and 3411 fathers). Multiple linear regression analyses were used to identify factors associated with study satisfaction at both time points. Results: Parent study satisfaction was highest in Sweden and the US compared to Finland. Parents with low education who had an accurate perception of their child’s type 1 diabetes risk and who believed they can do something to prevent type 1 diabetes were more satisfied with their study participation. Parents with higher depression scores had lower study satisfactions scores. After adjusting for these factors, study staff consistency was associated with greater study satisfaction in Europe but not the US. However, the number of staff changes from visit to visit was markedly higher in the US compared to Europe. Although study satisfaction scores were higher for mothers than fathers, associations with other factors were similar for both. Conclusions: : Factors associated with parent study satisfaction were similar for mothers and fathers and across time. Potentially modifiable factors are of particular interest. These include accuracy about the child’s risk for type 1 diabetes; beliefs that something can be done to reduce the child’s risk; and study staff consistency. However, the importance of staff consistency was different between the US and European parents. Trial registration: NCT00279318