Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2025
Advisor
Jeannette Manger
Abstract
Background: Diabetes and insufficient sleep are prevalent health concerns, and determining potential contributing factors could help decrease the incidence of these issues. This study aims to explore potential associations between insufficient sleep and diabetes mellitus, examining whether these negative health outcomes can be linked geographically and by personality traits. Results could help create more effective programs to combat diabetes and insufficient sleep.
Materials and Methods: The study utilized longitudinal health data and roadmaps from 2016 and 2023 for each state, categorizing the data into four regions: Northeast, Midwest, South, and West. We incorporated personality data from the Synthetic Aperture Personality Assessment project and performed several statistical tests. This included Wilcoxon signed-rank tests to assess changes in rates of insufficient sleep and diabetes, Kruskal-Wallis tests to compare health issues and personality traits across regions, and Spearman correlation tests to analyze the relationships between personality traits and each health issue in different areas.
Results: The data revealed a significant decrease in the total number of individuals with diabetes between 2016 and 2023 in the US and the Northeast. It also showed no significant differences in rates of insufficient sleep between 2016 and 2023. In a comparison between regions in 2023, the Southern region had an increased prevalence of diabetes mellitus and insufficient sleep compared to the other three regions. When comparing personality traits across regions, we found the West had significantly smaller values in neuroticism and extraversion than all other regions. Moreover, the Northeast exhibited significantly larger values in neuroticism compared to all other regions. No significant differences were found for any Big Five Personality Traits in the Midwest and South, indicating similarities in personality between the two regions. The Spearman correlation analysis also indicated strong positive correlations between extraversion and diabetes and between extraversion and insufficient sleep in the Northeast. Moreover, a strong negative correlation was found between intellect and diabetes in the Northeast.
Conclusion: Our research offers new insights regarding the Northeast region. The identified positive correlations between extraversion, insufficient sleep, and diabetes mellitus suggest that personality traits in this area may be linked to specific health risks, particularly the relationship between low sleep quality and diabetes mellitus.
Repository Citation
Chirakos, I., & Schroeder, B. (2025). Regional Variation and Correlation of Big Five Personality Traits with Rates of Insufficient Sleep and Diabetes in the United States. Wright State University. Dayton, Ohio.
