Comparison of the Effectiveness of Metacognitive Therapy and Behavioral Activation on Executive Functions of Elderly People with Type 2 Diabetes

Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disorder in the body whose prevalence is constantly increasing. The aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of metacognitive therapy and behavioral activation on executive functions of elderly people with type 2 diabetes. This study was a quasi-experimental study with pretest, posttest, and control group design, and a three-month follow-up. The statistical population included people with type 2 diabetes who were referred to five endocrine clinics located in area 11 and were at least 60 years old and 75 years old at most. Forty-five women and men participated in this study through a purposeful and voluntary sampling method. Wisconsin card was used for data collection. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics such as mean and standard deviation and inferential statistics by analysis of covariance and repeated measure ANOVA with SPSS.25 software. The results showed that show that there is no statistically significant difference between metacognitive and behavioral activation groups in the subscales of executive function, and the mean post-test of the groups is almost equal (p <0.05). Correct reaction time, first patterns attempt were significantly different compared to the control group (P>0.05). It can be concluded that meta-cognitive therapy and behavioral activation increased effective executive functions.