Measuring psychological insulin resistance: barriers to insulin use.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to explore the attitudes that contribute to psychological insulin resistance (PIR) in insulin-naive patients with type 2 diabetes and to identify predictors of PIR.

Methods: A prospective study using 2 self-report surveys and incorporating demographic and health variables was conducted to determine the prevalence of PIR among a sample of 100 adult, insulin-naive patients with type 2 diabetes at an outpatient diabetes center in a university-affiliated teaching hospital.

Results: Thirty-three percent of patients with type 2 diabetes were unwilling to take insulin.