Locus of control in the effective management of diabetes

Abstract

The Maltese population has since 1964 been shown to have a high predisposition of diabetes with an inherent high prevalence rate for maturity-onset disease (Savona-Ventura, 2001). Once individuals are diagnosed with diabetes, they have to come to terms with a complex treatment regimen, which is not easy to adhere to. However, diabetes is one of those few illnesses that give opportunities for the patient to exert control over it via treatment regimen (Band & Weisz, 1990). The present study investigated the relationship of Health Locus of Control in the effective management of Type 2 diabetes mellitus. Participants were recruited from the Outpatient Diabetes Clinic at St. Luke's Hospital. Standardised research tools were employed, namely the Multidimensional Health Locus of Control scales and the Summary of Diabetes Self-Care Activities Measure. The Glycosylated Haemoglobin or HbA1c, considered as the most objective medical indicator for treatment adherence in diabetic individuals, was used as the measure of self management. Analysis was conducted using Pearson Product Moment Correlations and One-Way ANOV A. The most important finding is that Internal Health Locus of Control, given the right research conditions, is highly likely to be a predictor of good self management.