Dyadic Interventions on Diabetes Self-Management and Glycemic Control for Adults With Type 2 Diabetes: A Systematic Review.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to systematically review the literature to examine the efficacy of family-dyad-focused intervention for people WITH Type 2 diabetes. METHODS: The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines guided the study. Four databases were searched (ie, PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, and Scopus) for articles from January 1, 2019 to December 18, 2025. Controlled vocabulary and key terms in the search included "diabetes, mellitus, type 2"; "type 2 diabetes"; "self-management"; "self-care"; "spouses"; "dyad"; "caregiver"; and "partner support," among others. Additional studies were identified through review of reference lists of relevant articles. Studies focusing on peer-support dyads were excluded. RESULTS: A total of 1816 records were identified; 886 were duplicates. Among the remaining 930 articles that were screened, 882 were not relevant, 48 were sought for full-text retrieval, together with another 4 identified from other resources such as reference lists. Nine failed full-text retrieval because of being conference abstracts, and a total of 43 full-texts were examined for eligibility. After excluding 20 that were not eligible, 23 studies were included in the final review. About half of the included studies were pilot studies, mainly to test the feasibility and acceptability of an intervention. Among the rest of the randomized controlled trials that involved family dyad as a part of the intervention, mixed results were reported in diabetes control outcomes measured with A1C, and short-term efficacy was reported in behavioral and psychosocial measurements (self-efficacy, diabetes self-management). CONCLUSIONS: Future studies are warranted to generate stronger evidence for dyad-focused interventions among people with diabetes.