title: Relationship of personality characteristics to glucose regulation in adults with diabetes.
abstract: Personality characteristics were assessed in 139 diabetic adults (insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus = 84, non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus = 55) to determine whether a relationship existed between glucose regulation and the measured psychological features. Cloninger's Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire (TPQ) was used to evaluate personality while glycated hemoglobin provided an estimate of recent glucose control. Mean glycated hemoglobin (gHb) for the sample was 11.4%. A significant difference (p = 0.03) in gHb levels was observed comparing subjects with extreme personality features (mean = 11.9%) with those subjects with average personality profiles (mean = 10.9%). Post hoc statistical testing identified opportunistic, alienated, and explosive temperaments as the personality features most often associated with poor glucose control. The TPQ appeared to be a particularly useful predictor of poorer glucose regulation in the subset of patients who were self-referred.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Washington University, St. Louis, MO 63110.
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Lustman
authors.forename: B L
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Frank
authors.forename: J B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: McGill
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000378:metabolism*; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000097:blood* / Q000523:psychology; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000097:blood* / Q000523:psychology; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D010551:Personality; D010554:Personality Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D010555:Personality Inventory
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin