The Reduction of Anxiety and Blood Sugar Level with Group Cognitive-Behavior Therapy in Men and Women withType II Diabetes: An Experimental Study

Background: Although psychological distress can interfere with diabetes care,the effectiveness of Group Cognitive-Behavior Therapy in improving diabetesoutcomes is unknown.Objectives: The purpose of this study was to reduce anxiety symptoms andimprove glycemic control in diabetic patients. The samples were 24 diabeticpatients (12 in experimental group and 12 in control group) aging from 40 to 60years.Materials and Methods: The anxiety symptoms and glycemic control wereassessed prior to and following Group Cognitive-Behavior Therapy (CBT)using self-report instruments and through measuring glycosylated hemoglobinand fasting blood sugar (FBS). SPSS software version 16 was also used forstatistical analysis of the study.Results: The results, analyzed by the analysis of covariance, indicated that aftergroup-therapy, there were no significant differences between the two groups inas far as the means of FBS concentration. Moreover, a significant decrease wasseen in hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) concentration after group-therapy in theexperimental group. As far as anxiety, no significant difference was observedbetween the two groups following the therapy; however, after group therapy,the anxiety of the women in the experimental group underwent a significantdecrease. In addition, a reduction in anxiety symptoms was observed postgroup-therapy, and the reoccurred significant changes in the glycemic control.Conclusion: The findings of this pilot study suggest that group-therapy is afeasible intervention for patients with diabetes and anxiety symptoms.However, further research is needed if a development is to be had regarding theinterventions that improve glycemic control.