American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance

New research found that those who are more independent and feel they don’t need help from others have a 33 percent increased risk of dying over a five-year period. 

“Self-reliant, pull-yourself-up-by-your-bootstraps, self-starters and go-getters normally an advantage can become a health liability over time,” said Jesse Slome, executice director of the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance which monitors research releated to long-term care issues.

Previous research has found that people who have chronic illnesses, including diabetes, who lack a good support system are more likely to die, according to background information in the study. 

Researchers wanted to expand on past research and see what effect personality type had on the risk of mortality in the presence of chronic illness.   To do this, they recruited 3,535 non-depressed adults with either type 1 or type 2 diabetes. All of the study volunteers were part of a health maintenance organization in Washington state. 

The researchers found that 53.8 percent of the study participants had an interactive relationship style, meaning that they had a greater propensity to reach out to others, according to the study. The remainder — 46.2 percent — had an independent relationship style. These people have difficulty reaching out to others and may have a hard time trusting other people, the study found. 

The death rate for those in the interactive group was 29 per 1,000 individuals, compared to 39 per 1,000 in the independent group. That means independent people have a 33 percent increased risk of death, according to the study.  Results of the study were published in the March issue of Diabetes Care.

Tags: aging, American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance, http://www.aaltci.org, http:www.aaltci.org/long-term-care-insurance/, long term care, long term care cost, long-term care insurance, LTC

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