The Effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy on Life Expectancy and Following the Doctor's Order in Type 2 Diabetic

Diabetes is a chronic disease that widely affects the lives of patients and adherence to treatment and hope is an important component in the successful management of the disease. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of acceptance and commitment therapy on life expectancy and following the doctor's order in patients with type 2 diabetes of Savadkooh Shohada ZirAab Hospital.

The present study was a quasi-experimental with pretest-posttest design and a control group. The statistical population of the present study included all diabetic patients admitted to the Diabetes Clinic of Savadkooh Shohada ZirAab Hospital in 2019. Thirty people were selected by available sampling method and randomly assigned to the experimental group (15 people) and the control group (15 people). The experimental group underwent 8 sessions of 90-minute treatment based on acceptance and commitment and no action was taken for the control group. Data collection tools included a life expectancy questionnaire and a general adherence scale. The research data were analyzed using SPSS software version 19 and analysis of covariance.

The results showed that the pre-test and post-test scores of the control group in overall compliance were 12.27±2.08 and 13.26±1.57 and life expectancy 57.26±4.47 and 58.13±5.31, respectively. The pre-test and post-test scores of the experimental group in overall compliance were 13.46±2.82 and 22.33±3.49, respectively, and life expectancy was 57.80±4.27 and 67.60±3.66, respectively. By controlling the pre-test scores, the effect of the group on the post-test score of the variables of general adherence (F= 100.47, p= 0.001) and life expectancy (F= 32.29, p= 0.001) was significant. Commitment and acceptance intervention caused a significant increase in the scores of variable overall adherence and hope in the intervention group compared to the control group.

According to the results, commitment and acceptance therapy can be used to help patients with diabetics increase their doctor's instructions and life expectancy.