Introduction: Alexithymia and stress, as a critical risk factor, can intensify the symptoms of diabetes patients. Therefore, in this study we aimed to investigate the effectiveness of dialectical behavioral therapy in alexithymia, perceived stress, and diabetes symptoms among patients with type 2 diabetes.

Methodology: This quasi-experimental study with a pretest-posttest design was performed on 30 subjects referred to Endocrinology clinic of Imam Khomeini Hospital, Tehran, Iran. The patients were randomly assigned to control and experimental groups. Dialectical behavioral therapy was conducted for the experimental group during eight sessions (90 minutes, once a week) followed by post-test. The data collection tools were Toronto Assessment Scale (Bagby, 1986) and Markham Mental Pressure Inventory (Markham, 1992). Statistical analysis was performed using analysis of variance (ANOVA) test.

Results: In pre-test scores, ANOVA test showed a significant difference between the two groups in terms of alexithymia (F=16.05, P=0.01), perceived stress (F=30.09, P=0.01), and diabetes symptoms (F=4.47, P=0.04).

Conclusion: The results indicated that dialectical behavioral therapy can be considered as an effective therapeutic intervention for diminishing alexithymia, perceived stress, and diabetes symptoms among diabetic patients.