Background: The control and management of distress are essential to prevent the physical and psychosocial problems and complications of diabetes. The purpose of the present study was to determine the effect of the educational intervention based on Pender's Health Promotion Model for Distress Management in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes.

Method: This study is semi-experimental research with a control group that was conducted in two 50-diabetic patient groups in 2019. The data collection tool was a standard Diabetes Distress Score (DDS17) and a researcher-made questionnaire based on Pender's health promotion model that its validity and reliability were confirmed. The educational intervention was designed according to the pre-test results including five 60-minute educational sessions and it was performed for the test group. They were analyzed one and three months after data intervention using the SPSS software.

Results: The designed educational intervention reduced the distress in people with diabetes, and the results indicated a significant reduction (p<0.001) of stress score and related structures in the intervention group after the intervention, while this rate did not have a significant change in the control group. After the intervention, all the structures of the Pender's health promotion model changed in a positive direction and there was a significant statistical difference between the status of these structures before and after the intervention and between the intervention and control group after the intervention (p<0.005).

Conclusion: The designed educational program significantly reduced the distress among people with diabetes by changing people's behavioral and mental pattern, and improved the distress management in patients.

Keywords: Distress, Diabetes, Health Promotion Model, Educational Intervention