Abstract
Background: Comprehensive support from individuals with whom one has a deep emotional connection can significantly improve the management of life's stresses. Objectives: This study aims to investigate the impact of a family-oriented empowerment program for husbands on the illness understanding, perceived stress, and self-care behaviors of patients with type 2 diabetes. Methods: In this semi-experimental study, 72 spouses of diabetic patients who met the inclusion criteria were randomly selected and divided into intervention and control groups. The intervention group received an educational program based on the family-centered empowerment model, which consisted of six 60-minute training sessions over six consecutive weeks. The control group received usual care. Data were collected using questionnaires on self-care behaviors, disease understanding, and perceived stress, administered before, immediately after, and three months after the intervention. Data were analyzed using independent t-tests, paired t-tests, and repeated measures ANOVA. Results: There were no significant differences between the intervention and control groups in terms of demographic characteristics and baseline variables (P = 0.11). The Mann-Whitney test revealed significant differences between the two groups in terms of disease understanding, perceived stress, and self-care behaviors after the intervention (P < 0.001). The independent t-test confirmed significant changes in the mean scores for disease perception, perceived stress, and self-care behaviors between the two groups (P < 0.001). Conclusions: The results indicate that a family-centered empowerment program can enhance illness understanding, reduce perceived stress, and improve self-care behaviors among the spouses of diabetic patients. Given the increasing prevalence of diabetes, incorporating such programs into nursing care plans is recommended.