Developing and Testing a Self-Compassion Tool Kit to Improve the Care of Individuals With Type 2 Diabetes

A pre-test and post-test experimental design will be used to evaluate the efficacy of the self-compassion tool kit on distress, coping, testing glucose, sleep, and wellness in adults living with T2D.

For this 4-week study, participants will receive education on Sleep Hygiene practices during the first week of the intervention. Mindfulness meditation will be offered to participants using the Headspace app and four, ten-minute sessions will be prescribed per week. For exercise, 30-60 minutes of daily physical activity will be prescribed and participants can select the exercise of their choice. Additionally, participants will receive a journal in the mail with prompts associated with each day of required journalling. Prompts will elicit reflections, gratitude and growth. Participants will be followed by telephone every week. Baseline and week four data will be collected using the Demographic Form, T2DDAS, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and the SF-20. In addition, participants will be instructed to maintain a glucose testing, meditation, and exercise adherence log. The glucose testing log will permit measuring consistency and adherence to treatment over the course of the study.

Inclusion criteria

• Has type 2 diabetes
• Has a score above 2 on the T2D Distress Assessment Scale

Exclusion criteria

• Does not have type 2 diabetes
• Has a score above 2 on the T2D Distress Assessment Scale
• Cannot safely exercise
• Cannot complete the requested tasks