Personality traits and treatment compliance in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus

Personality traits, especially types A/B and D, have been linked to negative outcomes in various somatic illnesses. In this study, we aimed to assess the prevalence of personality types and their association with certain aspects of treatment compliance in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).

Participants in this study were 91 in- and outpatients suffering from T2DM and 73 healthy control subjects. All the participants filled out standardized self-report measures of personality types A/B (Bortner Rating Scale) and D (Type D Scale; DS-14). In addition, two aspects of treatment compliance were assessed: blood glucose assessment and visits to the primary care physician.

We found a higher incidence of personality type B (χ(2)=4.086, p=0.049) and personality type D (χ(2)=4.215, p=0.048) in the group of T2DM patients compared to healthy controls. Patients with type D personality were less compliant in terms of the visits to the primary care physician (χ(2)=4.229, p=0.040), although they were more prevalent among those who were compliant regarding the frequency of blood glucose assessment (χ(2)=4.022, p=0.045).

The current study shows that type B and type D personality are frequent among T2DM patients. Moreover, type D personality could lead to certain aspects of suboptimal health behaviors and, therefore, interfere with disease management in diabetic populations.