Investigating the Relationship of Social Health and Personality Traits with High-Risk Behaviors of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences Students in 2017: A Descriptive Study

Considering the increase in the rate of high-risk behaviors among students, understanding their high-risk behaviors and identifying factors associated with those behaviors can contribute to university officials in planning regarding behaviors. The aim of the present study was to study the relationship of social health and personality traits with high-risk behaviors among medical students. In this descriptive study, 300 students of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences during 2017-18 were selected via the stratified convenience sampling method and voluntarily participated in the study. The research instruments consisted of the researcher-made high-risk behaviors questionnaire, Keyes's Social Well-being Questionnaire, and The NEO Personality Inventory-Revised (NEO-PI-R). Data were analyzed via Pearson’s correlation coefficient and independent t-test. The results indicated that the variables of sex (p=0.001), marital status (p=0.005) and place of residence (p=0.002) had a significant effect on the points of students' high risk behaviors. Also, social health (r=-0.41) had an important reverse correlation with high risk behaviors (p<0.001). Extroversion personality traits (r=0.50) and openness to experience (r=0.52) had a direct significant correlation with high risk behaviors (p<0.001). However, there was a significant reverse relationship between high risk behaviours and the traits of wretchedness (r=-0.36), compatibility (r=-0.47) and conscientiousness (r=-0.49). The research findings indicate that social health and personality traits play important roles in students' high-risk behaviors. Therefore, planning to increase students' social health and increase their knowledge about emotional management, life skills, and mental health can probably play a significant role in reducing their high-risk behaviors.