Personality Patterns in Patients with Diabetes Mellitus of Long Duration

Abstract

One hundred and twelve patients with diabetes for twenty-five to forty-eight years were studied with the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory. Of these, sixty-seven had been awarded the Quarter Century Victory Medal, having been found free of vascular complications after twenty-five or more years of diabetes. The personality inventory disclosed statistically significant differences between medal and nonmedal patients in three of the thirteen scales, and three other scales approached significance. When divided as to sex, different personality patterns characterized the groups but in both sexes nonmedal patients had significantly higher hypochondriasis scores. When depression, a frequently elevated score, was excluded, significantly more nonmedal patients had other abnormal scale scores (above 2 standard deviations). The differences in scores between medal and nonmedal patients warrant early personality screening and appropriate therapy to help the adaptation process of the person with diabetes.