Intertemporal decision-making as a mediator between personality traits and self-management in type 2 diabetes: a cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVES

The aims to investigate the mediating effect of intertemporal decision-making on the association between personality traits and self-management among individuals with in Type 2 Diabetes (T2DM).

METHOD

Patients with T2DM in the early stages of hospitalization at two tertiary hospitals in Shenyang and Jinzhou, Liaoning Province, May 2022 to January 2023. Questionnaires, including General Demographic, Self-Management, Big Five Personality, and Intertemporal Decision-Making, were administered. Pearson correlation analysis examined relationships between personality traits, intertemporal decision-making, and self-management. Hierarchical regression analysis identified self-management predictors. Mediation analysis used the PROCESS SPSS Macro version 3.3 model 4 to investigate intertemporal decision-making as mediator between personality traits and self-management.

RESULTS

Pearson correlation analysis revealed significant associations between self-management scores, personality traits, and intertemporal decision-making. Hierarchical regression revealed that Neuroticism and Conscientiousness accounted for 20.8% of the variance in self-management, while intertemporal decision-making explained 4.5% of the variance. Finally, using the Bootstrap method, the mediation analysis showed that intertemporal decision-making partially mediated the effect of personality traits on self-management.

CONCLUSION

This study emphasizes the importance of intertemporal decision-making in improving self-management behaviors among patients with T2DM. Interventions targeted at modifying intertemporal decision-making preferences could be effective in enhancing self-management behaviors, leading to better health outcomes.