Personality in Type 1 Diabetes and the Impact of Personality Traits on the Effects of Introducing Diabetes Technology

AIM: How well new technology is applied to the daily management of type 1 diabetes (T1D) may be highly influenced by personality traits. The number of studies examining how personality traits influence diabetes self-management technologies such as continuous glucose monitoring and carbohydrate counting with automated insulin bolus calculation based on carbohydrate ratios and insulin sensitivity is scarce. Derived from a randomized controlled trial, we aimed to examine the association between personality traits and glycemic and patient-reported outcomes in adults with T1D on multiple daily insulin injections initiating flash glucose monitoring and carbohydrate counting with automated bolus calculation.

METHODS: Personality trait scores from The Five-Factor Inventory-3 were analyzed in 170 individuals. We assessed baseline (n = 168) and changes (n = 34) in HbA1c, and patient-reported outcomes (validated questionnaires on diabetes distress, diabetes treatment satisfaction, diabetes psychosocial self-efficacy, diabetes quality of life) in bivariate and partial correlation analyses with personality traits (neuroticism, extraversion, openness to experience, agreeableness, and conscientiousness).

RESULTS: Adjusted for sex, age, and diabetes debut age, higher agreeableness correlated negatively with baseline HbA1c (partial correlation -0.20, p < 0.05) but positively with HbA1c change over time (0.36, p < 0.05). Higher neuroticism score was associated with higher baseline distress (0.39, p < 0.001) and lower baseline psychosocial self-efficacy (-0.43, p < 0.001), quality of life (-0.32, p < 0.001) and treatment satisfaction (-0.18, p < 0.05).

CONCLUSION: This study confirms that personality traits are associated with glycemia and patient-reported outcomes in adults with T1D. Consequently, tailored diabetes management approaches are likely to enhance overall outcomes, especially when incorporating diabetes technology.