Associations Between Five Key Personality Traits and Work Behaviors Among Radiologists: A Cross-Sectional Study

The Big Five personality framework, encompassing Conscientiousness, Open-mindedness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Negative Emotionality, describes key dimensions of individual behavior and has been used to assess career choice and job fulfillment across multiple industries. This framework has not been widely applied to the field of radiology and its implications. The purpose of this study is to investigate the association between radiologists' personality traits and their work behaviors.

A survey was administered to both attending radiologists and residents at a single academic institution in spring 2025. The survey collected data on personality traits using The Big Five Inventory-2 Extra-Short Form (BFI-2XS), 42 work behaviors (e.g., productivity, leadership, adaptability), and basic demographic information. Stepwise logistic regression was performed to identify personality trait predictors of the various work behaviors.

Sixty‑one subjects participated (62% attendings, 38% residents) with a 42% response rate. Conscientiousness was associated with work fulfillment, leadership interest, adaptability, and collaborative communication, and inversely with consultation hesitation and concern about reputational impact (p<0.05). Open‑mindedness correlated with interest in leadership, research/QI engagement, seeking second opinions, and committee involvement (p<0.05). Extraversion increased frustration with interruptions and committee involvement, whereas Agreeableness reduced interruption‑related frustration (p<0.05). Residents reported lower productivity and diagnostic confidence but greater research/QI involvement and more frequent case re‑evaluation. Gender, subspecialty training, and Negative Emotionality showed no significant associations.

Both personality traits and training level significantly influence radiologists' work behaviors. These findings underscore the potential utility of personality assessments in understanding and fostering specific professional behaviors within radiology and could inform targeted training or practice management.