Type D personality and its impact on patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus

Background: Type D personality (TDP) has been recognized as a risk factor for many diseases. Researches in association with TDP and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) were limited. Aims: The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of TDP, also to assess the relationship between TDP and perceived stress, self-efficacy, self-care behaviors, and psychological distress on Taiwanese patients with T2DM.Methods: 198 patients with T2DM were recruited consecutively from the department of endocrinology of a regional hospital in Taipei, Taiwan from December 2017 to April 2018. The participants completed questionnaires containing questions about sociodemographic characteristics, TDP, illness-related stress, self-efficacy, execution of diabetes management and emotional distress. Their medical records were reviewed for biomedical data.Results: 41.4% of the 198 patients had TDP. Controlling for sociodemographic factors, patients with TDP were reported significantly poorer on glycemic control than those without this personality (P<0.05). Compared to those without TDP, the results showed significantly higher levels of perceived stress (P<0.001) and psychological distress (anxiety and depression) (P<0.001), as well as significantly lower levels of self-efficacy (P<0.001) and self-care behaviors (P<0.001) on patients with TDP. TDP is positively correlated with perceived stress and psychological distress. It is negatively correlated with self-efficacy and self-care behavior scores.Discussion: This study provides the evidence linking TDP with poor glycemic control, self-efficacy, and self-care behaviors, as well as high perceived stress and psychological distress, which highlights the screening of TDP and the specific needs for the care among T2DM patients with TDP.