Background & Objectives: Social media use has been linked to various health-related issues across physical, psychological, and social domains. Individual differences play a key role in how people experience distress or well-being related to social media. By examining personality traits, the study seeks to contribute to the understanding of how these factors influence social media behaviours and subsequent psychological outcomes. The aim of the study was to assess the patterns of social media behaviours and their association with personality traits among medical students. Methods: The study was a cross-sectional observational research conducted over a year at a tertiary care centre and government medical college in India among medical students aged 18 to 30. Using purposive sampling, socio-demographic variables and details of social media usage were collected. The Big Five Inventory (BFI-10) was used to assess personality traits. Data was analyzed using chi-square test to identify relationships between variables. Statistical significance was set at p<0.05. Results: Undergraduates were more active social media users than postgraduates or interns. Openness linked to less posting, conscientiousness to messaging. Extraversion correlated with less WhatsApp/status updates, agreeableness with more WhatsApp and time spent. Neuroticism tied to negative behaviour. Interpretation & Conclusion: Student groups exhibit distinct social media habits influenced by age and personality traits. This study deepens our understanding of the complex individual-social media relationship.
Thampuratti et al. (Wed,) studied this question.
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