Benefits of Brief Group Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in Reducing Diabetes-Related Distress and HbA1c in Uncontrolled Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Patients in Thailand

Abstract

This study evaluated the short-term efficacy of brief group cognitive behavioral therapy (BG-CBT) in reducing diabetes-related distress (DRD), lowering hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), improving food consumption behavior, increasing physical activity, and improving medication adherence behavior. A quasi-experimental pretest/post-test design with follow-up assessments was used with an experimental and a control group. Participants were patients with uncontrolled type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and moderate or high diabetes-related distress recruited from the Diabetes Mellitus Clinic of Hang Dong Hospital, Chiang Mai, Thailand. Fifty-six eligible participants were purposively selected and enrolled, then randomly assigned to either the BG-CBT group or the control group. The BG-CBT group received six brief weekly sessions of cognitive behavioral group therapy, while the control group received conventional care. Baseline data were collected at week 0 (pretest) and at week 6 (post-test), including food consumption behavior, physical activity, and adherence to medication regimes, as well as a blood examination to determine levels of HbA1c at the week 12 follow-up. DRD was assessed using the Diabetes Distress Scale (DDS-17) and analyzed using descriptive statistics, including pair t-test and independence t-test results. The BG-CBT had a significant effect on the amelioration of diabetes distress, improvement of food consumption behavior, and reduction of HbA1c levels, demonstrating the effectiveness of BG-CBT in maintaining diabetes control in people with T2DM-related distress.