Comparing of the Effects of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Emotion Regulation Training on Diabetes Empowerment

Diabetes mellitus is a widely diffused chronic condition that affects several aspects of patients’ lives. The patient’s life in this condition depends on diabetes management ability. Therefore, this study aimed to compare the effects of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Emotion Regulation Training (ERT) on the diabetes empowerment of patients with type 2 diabetes. 

This was a quasi-experimental study with a pre-test, post-test-follow-up and a control group design. Of the statistical population of patients referring to the Diabetes Prevention and Control Center of Mashhad Province, Iran, 45 subjects were recruited by convenience sampling method; they were randomly assigned into three groups of ACT, ERT, and control (n=15/group). The study subjects were assessed using the Diabetes Empowerment Scale (F-DES-28) in the pre-test stage, after the intervention, and 3 months later. The obtained data were analyzed by repeated-measures Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) in SPSS V. 22.

Both provided interventions presented a significant effect on the empowerment of the research subjects, compared to the controls (P<0.001). The effectiveness of ACT on the diabetes empowerment of patients was significantly higher than that of the ERT group (P=0.04). 

It is recommended to use ACT and ERT to empower patients with type 2 diabetes.