Investigating Behavioral Control System, Behavioral Activation System, and Personality Factors in Type 2 Diabetic Patients and Healthy People

Objective: One of the important issues that has occupied the minds of researchers in the field of health psychology is the study of personality traits of people with diabetes. In this regard, the present research compared the behavioral control / activation systems and personality factors in patients with type 2 diabetes and healthy individuals. Materials and Methods: The present research was a comparative descriptive study. The statistical population consisted of all diabetic patients referred to the Diabetes Training Center at Imam Khomeini Hospital in Tehran (2017), in which 40 diabetic patients were compared with 40 healthy individuals. The scale of information behavior control / activation systems was collected through the NEO personality questionnaire. Results: The neuroticism score was higher in diabetics than in non-diabetics. Behavioral control systems in diabetic patients were significantly higher than in healthy individuals, but the sensitivity of the behavioral activation system was lower in diabetics. Neuroticism played a facilitating role in the behavioral activation system and the high sensitivity of the behavioral inhibition system. Conclusion: neuroticism is associated with the incidence of diabetes and therefore based on these characteristics, the occurrence and non-occurrence of diabetes can be predicted relatively along with other effective factors.