Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) intervention in adolescents with type 1 diabetes: A pilot and feasibility study

A considerable proportion of patients with type 1 diabetes (T1D) experience emotional problems due to the continual demands of the disease, which may persist throughout life without appropriate support. The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility and acceptability of an Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) intervention and provide early indications of its capacity to impact psychosocial outcomes for adolescents with T1D. Twenty-two participants were randomised to one of two groups: (1) ACT intervention for 6 weeks or (2) standard care. Given the ease of recruitment, high rate of attendance for the ACT intervention and the positive responses to the intervention, the intervention was deemed feasible and acceptable to adolescents with T1D. Outcomes trended towards enhanced Quality of Life and reduced Diabetes Distress. Future work should consider a larger scale randomised controlled trial to investigate the efficacy of the intervention for T1D and other chronic illnesses.