Personality traits and related factors in risky sexual behaviour among an undergraduate student population in southwestern Nigeria

Abstract

Differences in personality traits have been shown to determine variable propensities for sexual risk-taking. No study has examined the relationship between risky sexual behavior (RSB) and personality traits in undergraduate student populations in southwestern Nigeria. The objective of this study was to determine the relationship between personality traits and RSB in an undergraduate student population in Nigerian. A total of 385 students (204 males and 181 females) of a university in Southwestern Nigeria were recruited adopting a multistage, stratified, systematic sampling technique. The study participants completed a semi-structured socio-demographic questionnaire, the Big Five Inventory, the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test and the Sexual Risk Survey Questionnaire. Personality traits with significant negative correlations with RSB were Conscientiousness (r = -0.186, P = 0.001) and Agreeableness (r = -0.137, P= 0.011). Extraversion personality trait had significantly positive correlation with RSB (r = 0.109, P = 0.047). Binary logistic regression analysis revealed that the factors independently associated with RSB were alcohol use (OR = 9.4, 95%CI = 1.87-47.41, p = 0.001), tribe (OR = 2.6, 95%CI = 1.12-5.97, p = 0.025), dating status (OR = 4.3, 95%CI = 2.34-8.02, p<0.001) and the quality of relationship with the first sexual partner (OR = 0.22, 95%CI = 0.107-0.405, P<0.001). None of the personality traits reached statistical significance at the level of regression analysis. Effective control of RSB among this study population can be achieved by focusing on the control of alcohol use and supporting young adults who are interested in dating relationships.

Keywords: Risky sexual behavior, personality, alcohol, undergraduate students, Nigeria, sexual risk survey