Personality traits and cognitive function in old-adults with type-2 diabetes

Association of Type D personality and mild cognitive impairment in patients with hypertension

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between Type D personality and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in patients with hypertension.

METHODS

A total of 324 subjects with hypertension were included in the study. All of them completed questionnaires on demographic characteristics, Type D personality Scale, Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). The Type D personality effect was analyzed as both dichotomous and continuous methods.

RESULTS

The incidence of MCI was 56.5% in hypertensive individuals. Type D personality presenting as a dichotomous construct was an independent risk factor of MCI (odds ratio [OR] = 2.814, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.577-5.021, p < 0.001), after adjusting for ages, sex and some clinical factors. Meanwhile, main effect of negative affectivity component was independently related to the prevalence of MCI (OR = 1.087, 95%CI = 1.014-1.165, p = 0.019). However, associations between the main effect of social inhibition component (OR = 1.011, 95%CI = 0.924-1.107, p = 0.811) as well as the interaction of negative affectivity and social inhibition (OR = 1.013, 95%CI = 0.996-1.030, p = 0.127) with MCI were not found.

CONCLUSION

The findings suggest that Type D personality is strongly associated with MCI in patients with hypertension. The negative affectivity component of the Type D appears to drive the correlations between Type D and MCI. These findings provide new ideas for studying the mechanisms underlying the relationship between personality and cognitive decline in hypertensive individuals.

The relationship between personality profile and self-care among patients with type 2 diabetes

Background

As a chronic disease, diabetes needs special self-care behaviors until the end of life. Personality traits are considered to be effective psychological factors in controlling diabetes and self-care in patients with diabetes. The present study was conducted to determine the relationship between personality profile and self-care among people with type 2 diabetes.

Methods

In this descriptive-correlational study conducted in 2021, 160 patients with type 2 diabetes referred to the diabetes clinic of Imam Khomeini Educational and Medical Center in Ardabil were selected by convenience sampling method. The data collection tools included the Diabetes Self-Care Activities questionnaire (SDSCA) and the short form of the Millon Multi-Axis Clinical Test (MCMI-3), which were completed through interviews with patients. Data were analyzed by SPSS software using descriptive statistics (mean, SD, and frequency) and inferential statistics (Pearson correlation coefficient and linear regression).

Results

Based on the results, apart from the obsessive personality disorder, which had a positive relationship with self-care behaviors, a significant negative correlation was observed between schizoid, avoidant, depressed, dependent, antisocial, self-harming, borderline, and paranoid personality disorders with self-care behaviors (p < 0.01).

Conclusion

The results showed that there is a significant negative relationship between personality profile and self-care status of patients with type 2 diabetes. In other words, a person's personality profile can predict self-care behaviors. Accordingly, personality traits can be considered as one of the influencing factors on self-care in the educational programs of diabetic patients. Holding educational classes to empower patients using psychological interventions and teaching effective solutions can be an effective step toward increasing the level of mental-physical health and self-care of patients with type 2 diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus in older adults: clinical considerations and management

The past 50 years have seen a growing ageing population with an increasing prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM); now, nearly half of all individuals with diabetes mellitus are older adults (aged ≥65 years). Older adults with T2DM present particularly difficult challenges. For example, the accentuated heterogeneity of these patients, the potential presence of multiple comorbidities, the increased susceptibility to hypoglycaemia, the increased dependence on care and the effect of frailty all add to the complexity of managing diabetes mellitus in this age group. In this Review, we offer an update on the key pathophysiological mechanisms associated with T2DM in older people. We then evaluate new evidence relating particularly to the effects of frailty and sarcopenia, the clinical difficulties of age-associated comorbidities, and the implications for existing guidelines and therapeutic options. Our conclusions will focus on the effect of T2DM on an ageing society.