Comparison of Personality Types of Medical, Dental and Allied Health Students at a Private College in Pakistan using the Five-FactorModel: Personality Traits in Health Students

Aamir Shahid Javed; Abdullah Ahmad; Muhammad Umar Rafique; Minahil Tariq; Mavra Rasheed Mirza; Huma Saeed Khan

doi:10.70384/jlmdc.v3i01.102

Authors

Aamir Shahid Javed CMH Lahore Medical College & Institute of Dentistry
Abdullah Ahmad CMH Lahore Medical College & Institute of Dentistry
Muhammad Umar Rafique CMH Lahore Medical College & Institute of Dentistry
Minahil Tariq CMH Lahore Medical College & Institute of Dentistry
Mavra Rasheed Mirza CMH Lahore Medical College & Institute of Dentistry
Huma Saeed Khan Department of Physiology, CMH Lahore Medical College & Institute of Dentistry / UHS Lahore

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.70384/jlmdc.v3i01.102

Keywords:

Personality, Students, Medical, Allied Health Personnel, Personality Inventory

Abstract

Background: The Five-Factor Model (FFM) describes personality across five domains and has been linked to academic performance, stress perception, and career selection. Given these associations, it is important to explore how personality traits differ across key demographic variables in medical and allied health student populations.

Objectives: To compare mean personality trait scores across gender, residential status, academic year, and degree program among medical, dental, and allied health students.

Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted at CMH Lahore Medical College & Institute of Dentistry from January–May 2023. A total of 384 students enrolled in MBBS, BDS, DPT, and MIT programs completed the Big Five Inventory (BFI-44). Independent sample t-tests were used to compare personality scores across gender and residential status, while one-way ANOVA was applied to evaluate differences across academic years and degree programs. Post hoc Dunnett tests were conducted where appropriate. A p-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results: Significant differences were observed across gender and residential status. Males demonstrated higher emotional stability, surgency/extraversion, and imagination (p-value < 0.05). Day scholars scored higher in agreeableness (p-value = 0.006), whereas hostel boarders had higher emotional stability (p-value = 0.019). No significant differences were found across degree programs. Conscientiousness differed significantly across academic years (p-value = 0.015), with second-year students scoring higher than first-year students.

Conclusion: The findings indicate that personality traits vary with gender, living environment, and early academic transition, highlighting the importance of recognizing personality differences to better tailor mentoring and educational strategies within medical and allied health education.

References

1. O'Connor BP. A quantitative review of the comprehensiveness of the Five-Factor Model in relation to popular personality inventories. Assessment. 2002;9(2):188-203.

Doi: https://doi.org/10.1177/1073191102092010

2. Mammadov S. Big Five personality traits and academic performance: a meta-analysis. J Pers. 2022;90(2):222-255.

Doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/jopy.12663

3. Kokkinos CM, Antoniadou N, Voulgaridou I. Majors unleashed: unravelling students' personality profiles across academic disciplines. Curr Psychol. 2024;43(19):17635-17645.

Doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-024-05721-2

4. Luo J, Zhang B, Cao M, Roberts BW. The stressful personality: a meta-analytical review of the relation between personality and stress. Pers Soc Psychol Rev. 2023;27(2):128-194.

Doi: https://doi.org/10.1177/10888683221104002

5. Kaoropthai C, Dryver A. A multivariate analysis of the relationships among the Big Five personality traits, activity-oriented learning styles, and academic performance of Grade 12 students in Thailand. BMC Psychol. 2025;13(1):1074.

Doi: https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-025-03387-4

6. Kumar VV, Tankha G. Association between the Big Five and trait emotional intelligence among college students. Psychol Res Behav Manag. 2023;16:915-925.

Doi: https://doi.org/10.2147/PRBM.S400058

7. Peters H, Garbe A, Breil SM, Oberst S, Selch S, Holzhausen Y. Big Five personality traits of medical students and workplace performance in the final clerkship year using an EPA framework. BMC Med Educ. 2024;24(1):453.

Doi: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-024-05434-x

8. Abbiati M, Cerutti B. Do students' personality traits change during medical training? A longitudinal cohort study. Adv Health Sci Educ. 2023;28(4):1079-1092.

Doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10459-023-10205-2

9. Jawed S, Altaf B, Salam RMT, Ijaz F. Frequency of emotional disturbances among hostelites and day scholars medical students. J Pak Med Assoc. 2021;71(1A):73-77.

Doi: https://doi.org/10.47391/JPMA.562

10. Wang MT, Ye F, Degol JL. Who chooses STEM careers? Using a relative cognitive strength and interest model to predict careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. J Youth Adolesc. 2017;46(8):1805-1820.

Doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-016-0618-8

11. Shehzad S, Waheed Z, Butt H, Farooq A, Khan NR, Khan K. Big-5 personality traits in medical and dental students of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Psychol Educ. 2020;57(9):7639-7643.

12. John OP, Donahue EM, Kentle RL. Big Five Inventory. APA PsycTests. 1991.

Doi: https://doi.org/10.1037/t07550-000

13. Nguyen NT, Allen LC, Fraccastoro K. Personality predicts academic performance: exploring the moderating role of gender. J High Educ Policy Manag. 2005;27(1):105-117.

Doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/13600800500046313

14. Sander P, de la Fuente J. Undergraduate student gender, personality and academic confidence. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020;17(15):5567.

Doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17155567

15. Feingold A. Gender differences in personality: a meta-analysis. Psychol Bull. 1994;116(3):429-456.

Doi: https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.116.3.429

16. Ormel J, Jeronimus BF, Kotov R, Riese H, Bos EH, Hankin B, et al. Neuroticism and common mental disorders: meaning and utility of a complex relationship. Clin Psychol Rev. 2013;33(5):686-697.

Doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2013.04.003

17. Brett CE, Mathieson ML, Rowley AM. Determinants of wellbeing in university students: the role of residential status, stress, loneliness, resilience, and sense of coherence. Curr Psychol. 2023;42(23):19699-19708.

Doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-022-03125-8

18. Jensen-Campbell LA, Graziano WG. Agreeableness as a moderator of interpersonal conflict. J Pers. 2001;69(2):323-362.

Doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-6494.00148

19. Deng X, Chen J. Agreeableness and subjective wellbeing: The mediating role of perceived social support as a coping-relevant resource and the moderating effect of family income. Behav Sci (Basel). 2025;16(1):38.

Doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/bs16010038

20. Lievens F, Ones DS, Dilchert S. Personality scale validities increase throughout medical school. J Appl Psychol. 2009;94(6):1514-1535.

Doi: https://doi.org/10.1037/a0016137