Social and personality characteristics of Nigerian medical students

Nigerian medical students (N = 183) were assessed with a 58-item general questionnaire, the Health Opinion Survey, and the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ). The social, demographic, and related characteristics of the Ss were described. On the EPQ both male and female Ss obtained considerably higher mean scores than British Ss of the standardization sample. For males P, E, and N mean scores were of the same order as scores obtained by British Ss. Females had lower N scores and higher P and E scores than the British. There were significant associations between N scores and past treatment for emotional complaints and between the latter and E scores. The relationship between self-assessed mental health and N scores was almost significant at the .05 level.