Developing and Evaluating the Effectiveness of a Family-Oriented Psychological Interventions Program based on Spiritual Happiness on Managing Anxiety and Reducing Blood Sugar in Adults with Diabetes

Fekri Shiran, Mohsen; Afrooz, Gholamali; Pourhossein, Reza; Aghajani, Seifollah; Alipoor, Ahmad

doi:10.30473/hpj.2025.74428.6238

Document Type : Scientific Research

Authors

¹ PhD in Health Psychology, Kish International Campus, Kish, Iran

² Distinguished Professor, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

³ Professor, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

⁴ Professor, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil, Iran

⁵ Professor, Department of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Payam Noor University, Tehran, Iran.

10.30473/hpj.2025.74428.6238

Abstract

Objective: The present study aimed to develop and evaluate the effectiveness of a family-centered psychological intervention program based on spiritual happiness for managing anxiety and reducing blood sugar levels in adults with diabetes. Nowadays, the number of individuals suffering from chronic disorders is on the rise, with the World Health Organization reporting that chronic disorders account for nearly 71% of annual deaths. Diabetes is a condition that affects the emotional-cognitive health spectrum of those affected. Over the past twenty years, the prevalence of diabetes has increased, reaching 285 million people in 2010, and this number is expected to rise to over 438 million by 2030. It is believed that individuals with diabetes have deficiencies in their physiological health status, leading to increased psychological stress and tension. Psychological stress is a condition that, if exacerbated, can lead to anxiety. Given the importance of relationships and the role of the affected individual and their family on each other in the course of physical and psychological disorders and the reduction of spiritual happiness, the focus has been on providing family-centered interventions for the affected individual. The family is the only natural, innate, unique and eternal human institution that plays the greatest role in the health and prosperity of human existence. Individuals and families with the disorder experience many difficulties in adapting to the diabetes treatment program. At the individual level, the goal of these treatments is to create positive psychological states. At the family level, the main goal is to increase the level of tolerance and knowledge of how to face and respond rationally and based on emotional relationships between spouses. Method: In this study, the family-oriented psychological intervention program based on spiritual happiness was developed based on previous research on family-oriented psychological interventions. The research method was quasi-experimental with a pre-test and post-test design with a control group. The statistical population consisted of all individuals with type 2 diabetes who visited the Diabetes Home in Ardabil city in 2024, from which 40 individuals were selected using convenience sampling and randomly assigned to two groups of 20 for the experimental and control groups. Data were collected using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) and the Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) test. The experimental group received eight 75-minute sessions of group family-centered psychological interventions based on spiritual well-being, once a week. Data analysis was conducted using Multivariate Analysis of Covariance (MANCOVA) and Univariate Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) with the statistical software SPSS22. Results: The findings indicated that the family-oriented psychological intervention program based on spiritual well-being had a significant impact on reducing anxiety (state-trait anxiety) (p<0.01) and blood sugar levels (p<0.01) in adults with diabetes. Conclusion: These results showed that family-oriented psychological therapy, if implemented based on spiritual vitality, can have a healing effect on reducing anxiety, stress, and physiological symptoms of people with diabetes. In this regard, counselors and therapists can use the findings of the present study in clinical and therapeutic interventions.

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Main Subjects

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Developing and Evaluating the Effectiveness of a Family-Oriented Psychological Interventions Program based on Spiritual Happiness on Managing Anxiety and Reducing Blood Sugar in Adults with Diabetes

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Volume 14, Issue 55November 2025Pages 85-98

Volume 14, Issue 55
November 2025
Pages 85-98