The Effectiveness of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy on Insulin Induced Anxiety in Children and Adolescents with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus

Diabetes mellitus, like any other chronic and debilitating illness, causes the person with the disease, especially children and adolescents, to experience problems that affect all aspects of the daily life of the individual. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral therapy on insulin induced anxiety in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes. The research design was quasi-experimental with a pre-test-post-test design with the control group and a follow-up stage of 1.5 months. The statistical population of the study included all children and adolescents aged 8 to 13 years with type 1 diabetes in Isfahan province. Twenty-five subjects was selected by purposive sampling method and randomly divided into experimental (10) and control (15) groups. The case group received cognitive-behavioral therapy during the eight sessions of 45 minutes, and the control group did not receive any specific treatment during this period. Elliott et al.'s (1987) Observational Scale of Behavioral Distress Questionnaire was completed by mothers of children and adolescents in three stages: pre-test, post-test, and follow-up. Data were analyzed using repeated measure analysis. A significant reduction of insulin-induced anxiety in the case group compared to the control group was observed in the post-test phase. (P <0.01). The results of follow-up also showed that the effect of treatment lasted over time. Therefore, Cognitive-behavioral therapy was considered an effective intervention in reducing insulin-induced anxiety in children with type 1 diabetes mellitus. So, it is recommended that endocrinologists and diabetes associations include psychological interventions, including cognitive-behavioral therapy, in the care program of children with diabetes.