Associations between impulsivity and self-care adherence in individuals diagnosed with Type 2 or prediabetes.

Katherine Wainwright,Paul Romanowich,Meghan A Crabtree,Matthew J Gullo

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0263961

Katherine Wainwright, Paul Romanowich + Show 2 more

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https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0263961

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Abstract

Diabetes is a chronic disease requiring extensive self-care. Different impulsivity constructs, including choice-based and self-report personality measures are associated with decreasing diabetes self-care adherence. However, both choice-based and self-report impulsivity have never been measured for individuals diagnosed with either Type 2 or prediabetes in the same study. The current study examined the relationship between impulsivity and diabetes self-care in 101 adults diagnosed with either Type 2 or prediabetes. Results indicated that increasing self-reported impulsiveness was significantly correlated with decreasing Type 2 diabetic self-care, whereas the choice-based measure was not associated with any self-care measure. No association between impulsivity and self-care was significant for individuals diagnosed with prediabetes. Path analyses showed that self-reported impulsiveness directly and positively predicted problems controlling blood sugar levels in individuals diagnosed with either prediabetes or Type 2 diabetes. However, self-reported impulsiveness only indirectly and negatively predicted exercise and diet adherence via diabetes management self-efficacy for individuals diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. These results show what specific impulsivity constructs and diabetes management self-efficacy may be incorporated into interventions for increasing specific self-care behaviors.

Highlights

Diabetes is a chronic condition, impacting an estimated 422 million individuals worldwide (~17% global population), whose pancreas either cannot produce any or enough insulin leading to multiple health complications such as hypoglycemia, eye problems, limb amputations, hypertension, increased heart attack and stroke risk, and kidney disease [1]
A series of independent sample t-tests were used to compare individuals diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes compared to those diagnosed with prediabetes in delay discounting (DD), BIS-11, self-efficacy, and self-care
BIS-11 was significantly related to self-care behaviors for individuals diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, with higher BIS-11 scores associated with fewer days adhering to diet and exercise and increasing control problems

Summary

Introduction

Diabetes is a chronic condition, impacting an estimated 422 million individuals worldwide (~17% global population), whose pancreas either cannot produce any or enough insulin leading to multiple health complications such as hypoglycemia, eye problems, limb amputations, hypertension, increased heart attack and stroke risk, and kidney disease [1]. Prediabetes, where blood sugar levels are elevated for an extended time [2] is a Type 2 diabetes precursor [3] and impacts an even larger number of individuals (33.9% of US adults; [2]).

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