Disease-related learning and disease control in diabetics as a function of locus of control

This study investigated the relationship between the individual difference variable, locus of control, and a patient's response to diabetes. Since internal persons have been found to be active information seekers as compared to external persons, it was predicted that internal diabetics would know more about their disease and would, therefore, demonstrate more control over it. As predicted, internal diabetics did have more diabetic information, although this superiority over externals diminished as the length of the disease increased. Contrary to prediction, internal diabetics seemed to incur more problems with disease than externals as the disease progressed. This finding was interpreted as presenting a limiting case to the usual thinking about the superiority of an internal's response to problem situations.