Relationship Between Health Locus of Control, Health Value, and Social Support and Compliance of Persons with Diabetes Mellitus

Thirty insulin-dependent outpatients were interviewed during one of their diabetes clinic visits. Questionnaires were used to measure the independent variables of health locus of control, health value, and perceived social support. Self-report and direct observation were used to measure the dependent variable, compliance with insulin administration, diet, exercise, hypoglycemia management, self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG), and foot care prescriptions. All patients complied with at least 70% of the points measured; half the group complied with at least 80% of the regimen. However, no one complied with all the behaviors deemed essential for good control. The group was most compliant with SMBG, hypoglycemia management, and insulin administration and least compliant with foot care and exercise. A statistically significant relationship was found between compliance and social support (P < 0.001), powerful others health locus of control (PHLC) (P < 0.01), and internal health locus of control (IHLC) (P < 0.05). A multiple regression analysis found that social support and PHLC accounted for at least 50% of the variance in compliance scores. The multiple-R of the independent variables with compliance reached a significance level of P < 0.005. However, only the two variables of social support and PHLC added significantly (P < 0.05) to prediction accuracy. The multiple-R of these two variables used as a set reached the significance level of P < 0.001.