IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v15y2018i7p1462-d157322.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The Relationship between Personality Traits with Depressive Symptoms and Suicidal Ideation among Medical Students: A Cross-Sectional Study at One Medical School in Germany

Author

Listed:
  • Winnie S Chow

    (Institute of Occupational, Social and Environmental Medicine, Centre for Health and Society, Faculty of Medicine, University of Düsseldorf, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany)

  • Jan Schmidtke

    (Institute of Occupational, Social and Environmental Medicine, Centre for Health and Society, Faculty of Medicine, University of Düsseldorf, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany)

  • Adrian Loerbroks

    (Institute of Occupational, Social and Environmental Medicine, Centre for Health and Society, Faculty of Medicine, University of Düsseldorf, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany)

  • Thomas Muth

    (Institute of Occupational, Social and Environmental Medicine, Centre for Health and Society, Faculty of Medicine, University of Düsseldorf, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany)

  • Peter Angerer

    (Institute of Occupational, Social and Environmental Medicine, Centre for Health and Society, Faculty of Medicine, University of Düsseldorf, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany)

Abstract

Medical students are at increased risk of experiencing mental health problems. Certain personality traits may be associated with elevated vulnerability to study-related stress and poor mental health. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between such personality traits and mental health outcomes among medical students. We drew on cross-sectional data from 251 medical students who had been enrolled for one-year at a medical school in Germany. Depressive symptoms were measured using the Patient Health Questionnaire-8 (PHQ-8) and suicidal ideation was assessed by item 9 from the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). Personality traits were captured using the Business-Focused Inventory of Personality 6 Factors (BIP-6F). Multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to quantify the associations between work-related personality factors and mental health outcomes, controlling for demographic and social factors. Odds ratios (ORs) as outcome measures with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used. After controlling for important confounders, medical students who scored highly on Stability had lower odds of depressive symptoms (OR: 0.19, 95% CI: 0.09–0.42, p < 0.001) and suicidality (OR: 0.38, 95% CI: 0.16–0.87, p < 0.05) than those with high scores in other work-related personality factors. Findings also showed that those who scored highly on Dominance had greater odds of depressive symptoms (OR: 2.46, 95% CI: 1.22–4.97), p < 0.01). Work-related personality-informed interventions, which promote students’ mental well-being and reduce academic stress should be considered at various stages of their medical training.

Suggested Citation

  • Winnie S Chow & Jan Schmidtke & Adrian Loerbroks & Thomas Muth & Peter Angerer, 2018. "The Relationship between Personality Traits with Depressive Symptoms and Suicidal Ideation among Medical Students: A Cross-Sectional Study at One Medical School in Germany," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(7), pages 1-11, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:15:y:2018:i:7:p:1462-:d:157322
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/15/7/1462/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/15/7/1462/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Firth-Cozens, Jenny, 2001. "Interventions to improve physicians' well-being and patient care," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 52(2), pages 215-222, January.
    2. McLaughlin, K.A. & Costello, E.J. & Leblanc, W. & Sampson, N.A. & Kessler, R.C., 2012. "Socioeconomic status and adolescent mental disorders," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 102(9), pages 1742-1750.
    3. Douglas S. Massey & Roger Tourangeau, 2013. "Where Do We Go from Here? Nonresponse and Social Measurement," The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, , vol. 645(1), pages 222-236, January.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Benedict Francis & Jesjeet Singh Gill & Ng Yit Han & Chiara Francine Petrus & Fatin Liyana Azhar & Zuraida Ahmad Sabki & Mas Ayu Said & Koh Ong Hui & Ng Chong Guan & Ahmad Hatim Sulaiman, 2019. "Religious Coping, Religiosity, Depression and Anxiety among Medical Students in a Multi-Religious Setting," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(2), pages 1-13, January.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Wallace, Jean Elizabeth & Lemaire, Jane, 2007. "On physician well being--You'll get by with a little help from your friends," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 64(12), pages 2565-2577, June.
    2. Sweeting, Helen & Hunt, Kate, 2014. "Adolescent socio-economic and school-based social status, health and well-being," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 121(C), pages 39-47.
    3. Jianmei Ye & Dawei Huang & Yuelin Li & Lei Liu & Mengwei Shi, 2022. "Subjective Social Status of High School Freshmen in the Transitional Period: the Impact of Extraversion," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 17(2), pages 971-983, April.
    4. Isabel Saavedra Rionda & Laura Cortés-García & María de la Villa Moral Jiménez, 2021. "The Role of Burnout in the Association between Work-Related Factors and Perceived Errors in Clinical Practice among Spanish Residents," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(9), pages 1-13, May.
    5. Roman Pabayo & Daniel M. Cook & Gregory Farmer & Beth E. Molnar, 2021. "Neighborhood Income Inequality and Alcohol Use among Adolescents in Boston, Massachusetts," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(16), pages 1-13, August.
    6. David G. Weissman & Mark L. Hatzenbuehler & Mina Cikara & Deanna M. Barch & Katie A. McLaughlin, 2023. "State-level macro-economic factors moderate the association of low income with brain structure and mental health in U.S. children," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-13, December.
    7. Tormod Bøe & Eric Dearing & Kjell Morten Stormark & Henrik Daae Zachrisson, 2018. "Subjective Economic Status in Adolescence: Determinants and Associations with Mental Health in the Norwegian Youth@Hordaland Study," Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Springer, vol. 39(2), pages 323-336, June.
    8. Dominic Weinberg & Gonneke W. J. M. Stevens & Elisa L. Duinhof & Catrin Finkenauer, 2019. "Adolescent Socioeconomic Status and Mental Health Inequalities in the Netherlands, 2001–2017," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(19), pages 1-18, September.
    9. Bachler Egon & Nickel Marius & Bachler Herbert, 2018. "The Relationship between Peer Victimization, Perceived Parental Support, Family Characteristics and Internalizing Symptoms. A Cross-Sectional Study," The Open Family Studies Journal, Bentham Open, vol. 10(1), pages 9-20, April.
    10. Chang, Qingsong & Peng, Chenhong & Guo, Yingqi & Cai, Ziyi & Yip, Paul S.F., 2020. "Mechanisms connecting objective and subjective poverty to mental health: Serial mediation roles of negative life events and social support," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 265(C).
    11. Steare, Thomas & Evans-Lacko, Sara & Araya, Mesele & Cueto, Santiago & Dang, Hai-Anh h & Ellanki, Revathi & Garman, Emily & Lewis, Gemma & Rose-Clarke, Kelly & Patalay, Praveetha, 2024. "Economic inequalities in adolescents’ internalising symptoms: longitudinal evidence from eight countries," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 125777, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    12. Sarah E. Johnson & David Lawrence & Francisco Perales & Janeen Baxter & Stephen R. Zubrick, 2019. "Poverty, Parental Mental Health and Child/Adolescent Mental Disorders: Findings from a National Australian Survey," Child Indicators Research, Springer;The International Society of Child Indicators (ISCI), vol. 12(3), pages 963-988, June.
    13. Celhay, Pablo & Meyer, Bruce D. & Mittag, Nikolas, 2024. "What leads to measurement errors? Evidence from reports of program participation in three surveys," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 238(2).
    14. Ross D. Whitehead & Alina Cosma & Jo Cecil & Candace Currie & Dorothy Currie & Fergus Neville & Jo Inchley, 2018. "Trends in the perceived body size of adolescent males and females in Scotland, 1990–2014: changing associations with mental well-being," International Journal of Public Health, Springer;Swiss School of Public Health (SSPH+), vol. 63(1), pages 69-80, January.
    15. Kyoung Min Kim & Dohyun Kim & Un Sun Chung, 2020. "Investigation of the Trend in Adolescent Mental Health and its Related Social Factors: A Multi-Year Cross-Sectional Study For 13 Years," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(15), pages 1-14, July.
    16. Karen M. Davison & Shen (Lamson) Lin & Hongmei Tong & Karen M. Kobayashi & Jose G. Mora-Almanza & Esme Fuller-Thomson, 2020. "Nutritional Factors, Physical Health and Immigrant Status Are Associated with Anxiety Disorders among Middle-Aged and Older Adults: Findings from Baseline Data of The Canadian Longitudinal Study on Ag," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(5), pages 1-19, February.
    17. Schafheutle, Ellen Ingrid & Seston, Elizabeth Mary & Hassell, Karen, 2011. "Factors influencing pharmacist performance: A review of the peer-reviewed literature," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 102(2), pages 178-192.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:15:y:2018:i:7:p:1462-:d:157322. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.