Introduction: Type 1 diabetes is a chronic metabolic disease that can cause complications such as depression and impaired quality of life. Group cognitive-behavioral therapy is a common method for reducing depression and promoting quality of life. This study aimed to investigate the effect of group cognitive-behavioral therapy on relieving depression and raising quality of life among patients with type 1 diabetes in order for nursing and caring for them.

Materials and Methods: This controlled quasi-experimental study with a pretest-posttest design was performed on 30 type 1 diabetes patients referring to Association of Diabetic Patient of Urmia, Iran, in 2014. The participants were selected through random sampling method and randomly assigned to two groups (n= 15 in each group). The experimental group received 12 90-minute sessions of group cognitive-behavioral therapy. All the subjects completed Beck Depression Inventory and World Health Organization Quality of Life Questionnaire at pre-test and post-test. The data was analyzed using multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA).

Results: The findings showed a significant difference between the experimental and control groups regarding depression and quality of life. Moreover, the results of MANCOVA reflected that group cognitive-behavioral therapy significantly relieved depression and enhanced quality of life in patients with type 1 diabetes (P<0.01).

Conclusion: This study revealed that group cognitive-behavioral therapy was effective in treating depression and promoting quality of life among patients with type 1diabetes. Thus, for nursing and caring for patients with type 1 diabetes, group cognitive-behavioral therapy can be applied by counselors, clinical psychologists, and therapists to reduce depression and raise quality of life.