Hospital Practices and Research

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

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Zeinab Moravejosharieh
Zahra Dasht Bozorgi

Department of Psychology, Ahvaz Branch, Islamic Azad University, Ahvaz, Iran

https://doi.org/10.30491/hpr.2025.498629.1465
Abstract
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 30 and 50 years with a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes who were registered with the Ahvaz Diabetes Association between January and April 2023.Thirty participants with type 2 diabetes were recruited using convenience sampling and subsequently randomly assigned to either the intervention group (n = 15) or the control group (n = 15). The intervention group participated in eight weekly 90-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 26 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<0.001). 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.

Keywords

Diabetes Mellitus
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
Emotions
Self-care
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