Correlation Between Personality Traits and Professional Identity Among Fresh Medical Students

Abstract

Objective To explore the effects of different personality traits on professional identity among first-year medical freshmen, so as to provide references for freshman education in universities. Methods A convenience sampling method was adopted. A total of 907 freshmen from a medical university in Guangzhou were recruited as research subjects in September 2021. The general information questionnaire, Big Five Personality Inventory and College Students' Professional Identity Scale were used for investigation, and SPSS 26.0 software was applied for correlation analysis. Results A total of 898 valid questionnaires were recovered. The overall professional identity score of participants was at a relatively high level (86.03±12.53). Students with medical relatives, those who admired medical role models, those who never considered quitting medical studies, and those with high weekly intake of fruits and vegetables tended to have higher professional identity scores (P＜0.05). Neuroticism was significantly negatively correlated with professional identity (r=-0.327, P＜0.05). Extraversion, openness, agreeableness and conscientiousness positively predicted higher professional identity (P＜0.05), among which conscientiousness exerted the strongest impact (r=0.417, P＜0.05). Conclusion Among individual personality traits, neuroticism negatively predicts medical students’ professional identity. Medical universities should pay special attention to freshmen with high neuroticism in career cultivation. Universities should strengthen the construction of medical role model culture, guide students to establish medical idols, encourage regular intake of fruits and vegetables, and foster students’ conscientious personality.