Can You Reduce Diabetes Symptomatology by Becoming Your 'Best Possible Self': The Role of Stress and Resilience

Not Applicable

Completed

• Conditions: Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2
• Interventions: Behavioral: Best Possible Self

• Registration Number: NCT03675165
• Lead Sponsor: Liverpool John Moores University

Brief Summary

The purpose of this study is to examine how the 'Best Possible Self' (BPS) intervention influences diabetes symptomatology over a four week period by assessing stress and resilience as mediatory effects. Half of the participants will receive the BPS straight away while the other half will be put on a waiting list and will act as the control group.

Detailed Description

The BPS is a "positive" psychology intervention; i.e. it facilitates positive emotion in order to achieve psychological, behavioural, and even physiological changes. The present team's previous research has demonstrated that the BPS is effective at reducing certain diabetes symptoms, though the exact mechanisms by which it does so are unclear. According to the Stress Buffering Model of Physical Activity, psychological stress is the catalyst that triggers behavioural and physiological responses critical to health while positive emotions can improve health by helping people to cope. The Broaden and Build Theory of Positive Emotions, meanwhile, suggests that this is because positive emotions allow people to build resilience.

In this study, the aim is to examine whether stress and resilience in particular mediate the relationship between intervention and diabetes symptoms. Research around stress and resilience has shown these factors to be important not only in the physical health of people with diabetes but for also decreasing illness symptomatology in non-clinical samples more generally.

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2018-08-28
• Study First Submitted: 2018-09-04
• Study First Submitted QC: 2018-09-17
• Study First Posted: 2018-09-18
• Primary Completion: 2019-03-20
• Study Completion: 2019-03-20
• Status Verified: 2021-02
• Last Update Submitted: 2021-02-22
• Last Update Posted: 2021-02-23

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 110

Inclusion Criteria

• Non-clinical sample
• 18+
• Access to the internet

Exclusion Criteria

• Severe mental illness (such as schizophrenia or bipolar depression)

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Intervention	Best Possible Self	Participants receive a tailored version of Laura King's 'Best Possible Self' intervention: a brief, self-administered, psychological intervention. It is fundamentally a writing exercise, whereby recipients are asked to spend 10 minutes writing about their best possible future self and the steps they need to take to become that person. This helps the individual set goals while facilitating positive affect. Our version of the task has people focus on their health-related goals in particular.

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Diabetes Symptomatology (assessed using the Diabetes Symptoms Checklist - Revised)	Four Weeks	Subscales assess the existence of, and the distress caused by, fatigue, cognitive, pain, sensory, cardiology, ophthalmology, hypoglycaemia, and hyperglycaemia symptoms individually. For each sub-scale, participants can score between 0 and 5, with a lower score meaning fewer symptoms and less distress caused by that subset of symptoms. Subscales do not come together to create a total symptomatology score.

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Liverpool John Moores University; 🇬🇧 Liverpool, Merseyside, United Kingdom