The Effect of Stress Management Program on Perceived Stress in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Introduction: Stress management plays an important role in improving metabolic control in type 2 diabetes patients. The aim of this study was to find the effect of educational intervention on improving stress management in type 2 diabetic patients in Dezful, Iran. Methods: In an experimental study, 92 patients with type 2 diabetes who were referred to the Diabetes Clinic of Ganjavian Hospital of Dezful were selected by available sampling method. Then, they were randomly divided into two groups: 46 as intervention and 46 as control. For the intervention group, a stress management training program was designed for one month (8 sessions), while there was no training for the control group. All participants filled the Cohen Perceived Stress Questionnaire (PSQ) in baseline and follow up (3 months) phases. All the data were analyzed using SPSS software by conducting an independent t- test, and paired sample t- test, and Chi-square test at a significant level of 0.05. Results: The mean age of participants was 52.70 ± 10.91 years. Pre-test data revealed that there was no significant difference between the stresses of the two groups (P> 0.05); however, the results of the independent t-test, 3 months after the educational intervention, demonstrated a significant decrease in stress level in the intervention group compared to the control group (P <0.05). Conclusion: Based on the findings of this study, it is concluded that the design and implementation of health education interventions can be useful to improve stress management in people with type 2 diabetes.