Group emotion-skills program to reduce diabetes distress and improve blood sugar in type 2 diabetes

Development of a Group Emotion-Focused Behavioral Intervention for Diabetes Distress and Glycemic Management in Patients with T2D.

NIH-funded research Ohio State University · NIH-11289392

This project will try a group program that teaches emotion-regulation skills to help adults with type 2 diabetes lower diabetes-related stress and improve blood sugar (A1c).

Quick facts

Grant typeR01 grant
Study typeNIH-funded research
Funding institutionOhio State University NIH-funded
Lab location1 site (Columbus, UNITED STATES)
Project IDNIH-11289392 on NIH RePORTER

What this research studies

You would join a small group where clinicians teach emotion-regulation and behavior skills adapted from an existing one-on-one program. The team will compare the new group Emotion-Focused Behavioral Intervention (G-EFBI) to an attentional control group. They will collect information on feasibility, acceptability, diabetes-related distress, and A1c levels. The goal is to see whether the group format is practical, acceptable to patients, and shows preliminary benefit for stress and blood sugar.

Who could benefit from this research

Good fit: Adults aged 21 and older with type 2 diabetes who report high diabetes-related distress and have above-target A1c levels.

Not a fit: People without diabetes-related emotional distress, those with type 1 or brittle diabetes, or those unable to attend group sessions may not receive benefit.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could reduce diabetes-related stress and help improve blood sugar control for people with type 2 diabetes.

How similar studies have performed: Prior one-on-one emotion-focused behavioral interventions have shown promise in lowering diabetes distress and A1c, but adapting these methods to a group format is relatively new.

Where this research is happening

Columbus, UNITED STATES

Researchers

About this research

  1. This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
  2. Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
  3. For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.
Conditions Adult-Onset Diabetes MellitusBrittle Diabetes Mellitus
Last reviewed 2026-06-13 by the Find a Trial editorial team. Information on this page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals about clinical trial participation.