# Why Should Diabetic Women Be Active?—The Role of Personality, Self-Esteem, Body-Esteem, and Imagery

## TL;DR

This study explores how personality, self-esteem, and imagery differ between healthy women and those with diabetes, and how physical activity affects these factors.

## Contribution

The study reveals how sport participation influences body-esteem and mental imagery in diabetic women.

## Key findings

- Women with diabetes showed higher neuroticism and lower extraversion compared to healthy women.
- Diabetic women who exercise reported higher body-esteem and better use of affirming imagery.
- Conscientiousness was marginally higher in women with diabetes.

## Abstract

Diabetes is one of the fastest spreading diseases in the 21st century. The aim of the study is twofold: (1) to find differences in personality traits, self-esteem, body-esteem, and imagery between healthy women and women with diabetes; (2) to verify whether there are differences in the analyzed factors among women with diabetes who engage in sports compared to those who do not. We used 3 questionnaires: Imagination in Sport—short form, Self-Esteem Scale (SES), and BFIS Personality, which were tested online. We found that women with diabetes were characterized by significantly higher neuroticism, lower extraversion, and higher conscientiousness (marginally significant). We also found that women with diabetes who practice sport rated their bodies more highly in terms of sexual attractiveness and made better use of imagined affirmations than women without diabetes who were not active. Our study provides new insights into diabetics in terms of women navigating the disease.