The Comparison Effectiveness of Emotion-Focused Therapy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy on Emotional Self-Regulation and Diabetes Management Self Efficacy in Women with Type II Diabetes

Diabetes mellitus, like any other chronic and debilitating disease, leads to problems that affect all aspects of the affected person's daily life. The aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of emotion-focused therapy and acceptance and commitment therapy on emotional self-regulation and diabetes management self- efficacy in women with type II diabetes.

This semi-experimental study was conducted using a pretest-posttest design with control group. The statistical population of this study was all women with type II diabetes in the city of Tehran in the summer and autumn of 1401. In the first phase, 75 subjects were selected by convenience sampling method and then randomly divided into 2 experimental groups (each group 25 subjects) and one control group (25 subjects), and the experimental groups participated in emotion-focused therapy and acceptance and commitment therapy. The Gross and John (2003) emotion regulation questionnaire and the Bijl and et al (1999) diabetes management self-efficacy scale were used to collect data were analyzed by repeated measures using SPSS version 24.

The results showed that both interventions had a significant effect on improving emotional self-regulation and self-efficacy (P<0.05).  In addition, the results of the Bonferroni post hoc test showed that emotion-focused therapy was more effective in emotional self-regulation and acceptance and commitment therapy was more effective in self-efficacy (P<0.05).

Emotion -focused therapy and acceptance and commitment therapy were therefore found to be effective interventions for emotional self-regulation and self-efficacy in women with type II diabetes.  It is therefore recommended that endocrinologists and diabetes associations include psychological interventions, including emotion-focused therapy and acceptance and commitment therapy, in the care program for women with type II diabetes.