CORRELATIONS OF MOTIVATIONAL-MEANING ORIENTATIONS AND PERSONAL FACTORS FOR PATIENTS WITH DIABETES MELLITUS

Abstract

The article studies correlations between motivational-meaning orientations and personal factors for patients having diabetes mellitus. The study involved 79 people undergoing treatment for diabetes mellitus at the Kiev City Endocrinology Center: 31 men, 48women, with average age of 52.22, σ = 16.61. The following methods were used: “Diagnostics of the motivational structure of personality” (Milman, 1990), “Meaningful life orientations” (Leontiev, 2000) and “Five-Factor Personality Questionnaire” (Khromov, 2000). The motives of support were significantly more important than the motives of development for patients with diabetes mellitus, which indicated the regressive personal tendencies. As for meaningful life orientations, the indicator of goals was low, the indicators of satisfaction with a life process and life results were somewhat more optimistic. The results for the indicators of the locus of control-Self and the locus of control-life were different: locus of control-Self was low, but locus of control-life was sufficient. That is, the respondents believed in the fundamental capability to manage their lives, but they did not believe that they were able to manage it themselves. The obtained data are consistent with the results of other authors on the externality of the locus of control for such patients. Men with diabetes mellitus more often, in comparison with women, see life meaning in its results, feel themselves masters of their own lives, and are guided in their behavior by motives of life support. As for the analyzed personal traits, low values were obtained for all factors identified with the Five-Factor Personality Questionnaire. “Playfulness-practicality” factor turned up to be the lowest, which reflected that the studied people had tendency to be closed to new experience, afraid for changes but to be more practical, realistic, focus on adaptation to everyday life, and be concern about the material side of life. The revealed correlations of motivational-meaning orientations with personal traits for patients with diabetes mellitus were weak and of a low significance, therefore, they rather allow us to speak about tendencies than about regularities. These tendencies, first of all, include the specific refraction of motivational-meaning orientations through the respondents’ personal traits changed because disease, namely, egocentrism, a low prosocial orientation, the external locus of control, rejection of new experience, suspiciousness, misunderstanding of other people and focusing on one’s own problems.