PSYCHOLOGICAL AND DEMOGRAPHIC CORRELATES OF GLYCEMIC CONTROL IN ADULT PATIENTS WITH TYPE-1 DIABETES

The relationship between an objective measure of glycaemic control (glycated haemoglobin (HbA1)) and personality variables was examined in two separate groups of adult Type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetic patients. Study 1 included 121 patients, all of whom also had subjective self-reporting of treatment compliance assessed, while the first 57 patients had individual differences in intelligence, major dimensions of personality and forgetfulness documented. Study 2 examined 303 patients, all of whom had their major dimensions of personality assessed using a shortened and updated version of the original personality questionnaire. Demographic indices (age, onset-age, duration of diabetes) were assessed in both groups. No significant correlation was found between HbA1 and self-report compliance suggesting that self-reporting may be invalid as a measure of glycaemic control. In study 1 personality and intelligence variables did not correlate significantly with HbA1 values. Older patients with shorter duration of diabetes had significantly better glycaemic control (p<0.05). A significant correlation was observed between HbA, concentration and onset-age of diabetes (p<0.001); the patients who had developed diabetes later in life were achieving better control of their blood glucose. In the larger number of subjects in study 2 no significant correlations were evident between HbA1 and personality variables. It is concluded that the predictors of glycaemic control indexed by HbA1 may be distinct from predictors of self-report compliance and that the latter have limited or no value in providing an assessment of quality of glycaemic control. There is no evidence of an effect of personality on glycaemic control as measured by HbA1.