title: Personality traits, self-care behaviours and glycaemic control in type 2 diabetes: the Fremantle diabetes study phase II.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine whether the personality traits of conscientiousness and agreeableness are associated with self-care behaviours and glycaemia in Type 2 diabetes.
  
  
  METHODS
  The Big Five Inventory personality traits Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Neuroticism and Openness were determined along with a range of other variables in 1313 participants with Type 2 diabetes (mean age 65.8 ± 11.1 years; 52.9% men) undertaking their baseline assessment as part of the community-based longitudinal observational Fremantle Diabetes Study Phase II. Age- and sex-adjusted generalized linear modelling was used to determine whether personality was associated with BMI, smoking, self-monitoring of blood glucose and medication taking. Multivariable regression was used to investigate which traits were independently associated with these self-care behaviours and HbA1c .
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients with higher conscientiousness were less likely to be obese or smoke, and more likely to perform self-monitoring of blood glucose and take their medications (P ≤ 0.019), with similar independent associations in multivariate models (P ≤ 0.024). HbA1c was independently associated with younger age, indigenous ethnicity, higher BMI, longer diabetes duration, diabetes treatment, self-monitoring of blood glucose (negatively) and less medication taking (P ≤ 0.009), but no personality trait added to the model.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although there was no independent association between personality traits and HbA1c , the relationship between high conscientiousness and low BMI and beneficial self-care behaviours suggests an indirect positive effect on glycaemia. Conscientiousness could be augmented by the use of impulse control training as part of diabetes management.
authors.affiliation: Rural Clinical School, University of Tasmania, Burnie, Tas, Australia.
authors.forename: T C
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Skinner
authors.forename: D G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Bruce
authors.forename: T M E
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Davis
authors.forename: W A
authors.initials: WA
authors.lastname: Davis
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D015190:Blood Glucose Self-Monitoring / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015992:Body Mass Index; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000097:blood / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D055118:Medication Adherence / Q000523:psychology; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009765:Obesity / Q000523:psychology; D010551:Personality; D010555:Personality Inventory; D012648:Self Care / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012907:Smoking / Q000523:psychology; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D016903:Drug Monitoring
chemical_list: D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin; C517652:hemoglobin A1c protein, human