Effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Therapy on Emotion Regulation Difficulties, Quality of Life, and Blood Glucose Levels in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes
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Objective: Type 2 diabetes is one of the most common chronic diseases, which, in addition to its physical consequences, is often accompanied by psychological problems such as difficulties in emotion regulation and reduced quality of life. This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of mindfulness-based therapy on emotion regulation difficulties, quality of life, and fasting blood glucose levels in patients with type 2 diabetes.
Methods and Materials: This quasi-experimental study employed a pretest–posttest design with a follow-up phase and a control group. The sample consisted of 30 patients with type 2 diabetes in Tehran, selected through convenience sampling and randomly assigned to either the intervention group (n=15) or the control group (n=15). The intervention group participated in eight 60-minute sessions of mindfulness-based therapy. Data collection tools included the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS), the World Health Organization Quality of Life Questionnaire, and fasting blood glucose measurements. Data were analyzed using the Kolmogorov–Smirnov test, Levene’s test, and repeated-measures ANOVA.
Findings: The findings revealed that, compared to the control group, mindfulness-based therapy significantly reduced difficulties in emotion regulation (p< 0.001), increased quality of life (p < 0.001), and lowered fasting blood glucose levels (p< 0.001). These positive effects persisted during the follow-up phase.
Conclusion: Mindfulness-based therapy can be used as a complementary, non-invasive intervention for the psychological and physiological management of patients with type 2 diabetes, contributing to improved quality of life.
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