Influence of individual personality on health functioning among medical students: a comparative study between Japan and Brazil
H. Fujitsuka1, K. Nomura2,3, M. Hiratsuka4, H. Akihissa Yamamoto5, H. Uchida2, H. Tani2
1Seirei Hamamatsu General Hospital, General Internal Medicine, Hamamatsu, Japan, 2Keio University School of Medicine, Department of Neuropsychiatry, Tokyo, Japan, 3Shimada Ryoiku Medical Center for Challenged Children, Department of Child Psychiatry, Tokyo, Japan, 4University of São Paulo, Division of Geriatric Medicine, São Paulo, Brazil, 5Paulista University, Department of Urology, São Paulo, Brazil
Background: Medical students are known to have a high risk of depression due to the demanding academic environment. Although previous studies have reported associations between personality traits and anxiety/depression, cross-country comparative investigations among medical students remain limited. Japan and Brazil have contrasting sociocultural backgrounds, including differences in ethnic diversity and birth rates.
Aims & Objectives: We aimed to examine how individual living environments and personality traits influence health functioning among medical students in Japan and Brazil, and to identify both country-specific and shared factors.
Method: We conducted a questionnaire-based survey developed by the authors. The following questions were administered to first- to sixth-year medical students at the University of São Paulo, University Paulista in Brazil, and Keio University School of Medicine in Japan. We assessed depressive symptoms using the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), personality using the Ten Item Personality Inventory (TIPI), and subjective well-being and physical health using a 7-item Likert scale. The following socio-demographic and clinical information were obtained: biological sex, age, ethnicity, number of siblings, presence of cohabitants, frequency of family meals, alcohol consumption, exercise habits, social media use, and chronic diseases. We analyzed the association between personality traits and physical/mental health outcomes and examined differences between Japanese and Brazilian students. This study was approved by the institutional review boards of the participating institutions, and informed consent was obtained from all participants.
Results: Responses were obtained from 79 medical students in Japan (33 females) and 81 medical students in Brazil (29 females). Japanese students reported a higher frequency of family meals (p<0.001). Brazilian students reported a higher prevalence of chronic neck or back pain (p=0.0024) and higher PHQ-9 scores (p<0.001). Regarding personality traits, agreeableness was higher among Japanese students (p=0.028), whereas conscientiousness (p<0.001) and openness (p<0.001) were higher among Brazilian students.
When combining data from two countries, time spent on social media was positively correlated with neuroticism (r=0.209). Additional significant associations were observed between personality traits and health outcomes. Extraversion was positively correlated with subjective well-being (r=0.312). Agreeableness negatively correlated with PHQ-9 (r=-0.314) and positively correlated with subjective well-being (r=0.167). Conscientiousness negatively correlated with PHQ-9 scores (r=-0.204) and positively correlated with subjective physical health (r=0.307) and subjective well-being (r=0.270). Neuroticism showed positive correlations with PHQ-9 scores (r=0.390), chronic neck/back pain (r=0.196), and headaches/ migraines (r=0.188), and negative correlations with subjective physical health (r=-0.370) and subjective well-being (r=-0.296).
When combining data from two countries, time spent on social media was positively correlated with neuroticism (r=0.209). Additional significant associations were observed between personality traits and health outcomes. Extraversion was positively correlated with subjective well-being (r=0.312). Agreeableness negatively correlated with PHQ-9 (r=-0.314) and positively correlated with subjective well-being (r=0.167). Conscientiousness negatively correlated with PHQ-9 scores (r=-0.204) and positively correlated with subjective physical health (r=0.307) and subjective well-being (r=0.270). Neuroticism showed positive correlations with PHQ-9 scores (r=0.390), chronic neck/back pain (r=0.196), and headaches/ migraines (r=0.188), and negative correlations with subjective physical health (r=-0.370) and subjective well-being (r=-0.296).
Discussion & Conclusions: Brazilian students exhibited a lower frequency of family meals, lower agreeableness, and higher depressive symptoms and chronic neck/back pain compared with Japanese students. Given the negative association between agreeableness and depressive symptoms, medical students may particularly benefit from strategies that strengthen social engagement and enhance supportive interactions with family and friends. These findings highlight the influence of sociocultural and personality-related factors on medical student well-being. Moving forward, developing personalized mental health support tailored to individual personality traits is essential. Multinational comparative studies and longitudinal research examining impacts on future career development are also warranted.
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