- 1University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand a.friis@auckland.ac.nz annamfriis@gmail.com.
- 2University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
- 3Waitemata District Health Board, Auckland, New Zealand.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE:
Mood
difficulties are common among patients with diabetes and are linked to
poor blood glucose control and increased complications. Evidence on
psychological treatments that improve both mood and metabolic outcomes
is limited. Greater self-compassion predicts better mental and physical
health in both healthy and chronically ill populations. Thus, the
purpose of this randomized controlled trial (RCT) was to evaluate the
effects of self-compassion training on mood and metabolic outcomes among
patients with diabetes.
RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS:
This
RCT tested the effects of a standardized 8-week mindful self-compassion
(MSC) program (n = 32) relative to a wait-list control condition (n =
31) among patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Measures of
self-compassion, depressive symptoms, diabetes-specific distress, and
HbA1c were taken at baseline (preintervention), at week 8 (postintervention), and at 3-month follow-up.
RESULTS:
Repeated-measures
ANOVA using intention to treat showed that MSC training increased
self-compassion and produced statistically and clinically significant
reductions in depression and diabetes distress in the intervention
group, with results maintained at 3-month follow-up. MSC participants
also averaged a clinically and statistically meaningful decrease in HbA1c between baseline and follow-up of >10 mmol/mol (nearly 1%). There were no overall changes for the wait-list control group.
CONCLUSIONS:
This
initial report suggests that learning to be kinder to oneself (rather
than being harshly self-critical) may have both emotional and metabolic
benefits among patients with diabetes.
© 2016 by
the American Diabetes Association. Readers may use this article as long
as the work is properly cited, the use is educational and not for
profit, and the work is not altered.
