Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Diabetes: Enhancing Self-Care and Coping Strategies

Background: Diabetes is a chronic disease requiring ongoing self-care, which can be emotionally challenging and lead to difficulties with coping and adherence, ultimately impacting health outcomes. Objectives: This study investigated the impact of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) on self-care behaviors and coping strategies in individuals with diabetes. Methods: The present study used a quasi-experimental design incorporating pre-test, post-test, and follow-up assessments with a control group. The study population consisted of female patients aged between ۳۰ and ۵۰ years with a diagnosis of type ۲ diabetes who were registered with the Ahvaz Diabetes Association between January and April ۲۰۲۳.Thirty participants with type ۲ diabetes were recruited using convenience sampling and subsequently randomly assigned to either the intervention group (n = ۱۵) or the control group (n = ۱۵). The intervention group participated in eight weekly ۹۰-minute sessions of ACT, whereas the control group received treatment as usual. Data were collected at three time points (pre-intervention, post-intervention, and follow-up) using the Summary of Diabetes Self-Care Activities (SDSCA) questionnaire and the Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations (CISS). Repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed using SPSS version ۲۶ for data analysis. Results: Findings indicated a significant effect of ACT, leading to decreased utilization of avoidance strategies and increased engagement in problem-focused coping and self-care behaviors among individuals with diabetes (P<۰.۰۰۱). Conversely, ACT did not demonstrate a significant impact on emotion-focused coping strategies in this population. Conclusion: This study supports the potential benefits of ACT for improving diabetes self-care. Significant reductions in avoidance and increases in problem-focused coping and self-care following ACT suggest its potential to empower individuals to actively manage their condition. While ACT did not demonstrate a statistically significant impact on emotion-focused coping, its positive effects on other coping mechanisms and self-care highlight its potential to improve patient outcomes.

کلیدواژه ها:

Diabetes Mellitus ، Acceptance and Commitment Therapy ، emotions ، Self-Care