Personality traits and motivations for mammography
I. Chaari, A. Samet, W. Abid, Y. Fourti, F. Charfeddine, L. Aribi, N. Messedi, J. AloulouIntroduction
Mammography is a key tool for early breast cancer detection. While personality traits are known to affect health behaviors, their influence on women’s motivations for undergoing screening remains unclear.
Objectives
To examine associations between personality traits and motivations for mammography.
Methods
We conducted an online survey of the general female population in Tunisia via a sponsored Facebook campaign (December 2023–February 2024). Personality was assessed using the Big Five Inventory (BFI-44). Motivations were classified as preventive (routine screening) or non-preventive (fear, symptoms, family history).
Results
A total of 278 women participated in the study, with a mean age of 46 years (SD 8.9, range 20–84). Most were married (84.9%), university educated (78.4%), and of middle socio-economic status (66.5%). Regarding the reasons for undergoing mammography, 62% did so for preventive purposes, whereas 38% cited anxiety or symptomatic concerns Preventively motivated women showed higher Conscientiousness scores (mean 3.9 vs 3.4, p = 0.04), while non-preventive women scored higher in Neuroticism (3.7 vs 3.1, p = 0.03). Logistic regression confirmed Conscientiousness as an independent predictor of preventive motivation (OR = 1.35, 95% CI 1.05–1.78, p = 0.02).
Conclusions
In Tunisian women, conscientiousness supports preventive motivations, while Neuroticism drives anxiety-based motivations. Tailoring communication to personality traits may enhance participation in screening.
Disclosure of Interest
None Declared