The effect of cognitive-behavioral group therapy on depressive symptoms in people with type 2 diabetes: A randomized controlled clinical trial

Background: Diabetes mellitus is considered as the most common metabolic disorder. The patients with diabetes are likely to be affected by mental distress, especially depression. Nurses should pay attention to the psychological needs of depressive patients by participating in an application of non-pharmacological treatment such as cognitive-behavioral therapy. This study aimed to assess the effect of cognitive-behavioral group therapy on depression in patients with diabetes. Materials and Methods: This randomized controlled trial was performed in 2010 in the diabetes clinics affi liated to Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, southern Iran. In this study, 60 eligible patients suffering from depression were randomly divided into two groups by convenience sampling method, using random block allocation. The experimental group was randomly subdivided into three groups of 10 each and received eight sessions of cognitive-behavioral group therapy. The level of depression was checked before as well as 2 weeks, 4 weeks, and 2 months after the intervention in both groups. Glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) level was also checked before and 2 months after the intervention. Results: Both groups were demographically homogeneous with no statistically signifi cant difference. The trend in depression scores before as well as 2 weeks, 4 weeks, and 2 months after the intervention was statistically signifi cant in the experimental group (P ≤ 0.001), but not in the control group (P = 0.087). The results showed that HbA1c variation was statistically signifi cant before and after the intervention in both groups (P ≤ 0.001). However, the mean variation of HbA1c was not statistically signifi cant between the groups (P = 0.473). Conclusions: Cognitive-behavioral group therapy was effective in reducing depression in patients with diabetes. Therefore, this method can be recommended for such patients.