Institutional Role Conflict in the Digital Age: The Case of Diabetes Management at School

• In Event: Expanding Who Counts as a Policy Actor in Supporting the Whole Child

Abstract

As chronic illness increases there is increasing concern about how to create healthcare continuity across settings, particularly at school. While much is known about barriers at school, there are still gaps in understanding institutional dynamics shaping health management. Using focus groups with 19 youth with Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) and applying institutional role theory, we find healthcare providers’ recommendations conflict with school rules, making it difficult to enact both the “sick role” and the “student role.” Ultimately, youth must manage conflicts and stigma. By reframing these challenges as institutional ones, this paper contributes to research by highlighting the importance of institutional roles. More broadly, the study argues that policy should better align institutional roles to support health management across institutional settings.

Authors

• Cassidy Puckett, Emory University
  Presenting Author

• Jenise Wong
  Non-Presenting Author