Aims: Diabetes is a disease that in case of coexisting with low self-care, its severity and complications may increase. The aim of the present study was to determine the effect of combined treatment package (Acceptance and commitment therapy-based healthy lifestyle) with mindfulness-based therapy on self-care and glycated hemoglobin (A1C) in patients with diabetes mellitus, type 2.
Materials and Methods: The present research, which was conducted in 2017, is a pretest-posttest quasi-experimental study consisting of 2 intervention groups and 1 control group. Firstly, 45 women with diabetes mellitus, type 2 in Isfahan were chosen as the research sample and randomly divided into intervention and control groups. Self-care scale and glycated hemoglobin test were considered as the research instruments. The patients in combined therapy group were treated during 12 three-hour sessions and patients in mindfulness-based therapy group were treated during 10 two-hour sessions. Finally, the data were analyzed by the repeated measures ANOVA and Bonferroni post hoc test, using SPSS 21 software.
Findings: There was a significant difference between intervention and control groups with respect to self-care. There was a significant difference between ACT-based healthy lifestyle group with mindfulness-based therapy and control group, and there was a significant difference between the mindfulness-based therapy and control group. In terms of A1C, there was a significant difference between intervention and control groups. ACT-based healthy lifestyle group had a significant difference with mindfulness-based therapy group and control group, but there was no significant difference between mindfulness-based therapy and control group.
Conclusion: ACT-based healthy lifestyle can improve the self-care and decrease glycated hemoglobin in patients with diabetes mellitus, type 2 and it is more effective than the mindfulness-based therapy (standard therapy).