Willpower beliefs and diabetes distress: a preliminary cross-sectional study

AbstractThis study aimed to explore whether beliefs about willpower are associated with emotional well‐being.A cross‐sectional study of 323 people with type 2 diabetes completed a short form of the Problem Areas In Diabetes Scale and the World Health Organisation five‐item well‐being scale, the Brief Illness Perceptions Questionnaire for diabetes (BIPQ) and the Implicit Willpower Beliefs to Resist Temptations (IWB‐RT).A total of 332 individuals responded. They were a mean of 61.3 (SD 11.8) years of age, 68% were from the UK, 41% were female, and 30% had completed secondary education. They had diabetes for a mean of 10.0 years (SD 8.6), with 78% taking oral antidiabetes medication, 26% taking insulin, 71% taking medication for their blood pressure and 71% taking medication for their cholesterol. After controlling for demographics, treatment characteristics and illness beliefs, holding a resource limited belief about the nature of willpower was associated with reporting higher levels of diabetes distress.These results indicate that holding a resource limited belief about the nature of willpower may be a predisposing factor contributing to the development of diabetes distress. Longitudinal and experimental studies are required to confirm this possible causative role for willpower beliefs in the aetiology of diabetes distress. Copyright © 2021 John Wiley & Sons.