Effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Training on Emotional Expressiveness and Fear of Hypoglycemia in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes

Objective: Diabetes is a common chronic disorder in which there is a high risk of physical complications and psychological problems such as hypoglycemia and inability to express emotions. Psychological interventions can be effective in this regard. The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) training on emotional expressiveness and fear of hypoglycemia (FOH) in patients with type 2 diabetes visiting Yazd Diabetes Center. Materials and Methods: This study was a quasi-experimental study with a pretest and posttest design. The statistical population was all patients with type 2 diabetes visiting Yazd Diabetes Center in 2020. Forty men and women were selected using purposeful sampling and were randomly allocated to case and control groups. The case group received 8 sessions of MBSR training, 2 hours each and the control group received no interventions. Emotional Expressiveness Questionnaire (EEQ) and the Hypoglycemia Fear Survey (HFS) were used to collect data. Results: Results of ANCOVA showed that MBSR training significantly increases emotional expressiveness and its components (P-value 0.0001) and decreases the fear of hypoglycemia (P-value 0.0001) in patients with type 2 diabetes (P-value 0.035). Conclusion: Based on the results of the study, MBSR training could improve emotional expressiveness, prevent hypoglycemia and reduce the fear of it.