Does Personality Predict Information Seeking About Drugs? Using the Big 5 to Profile Personality Traits of College Students Who Actively Seek Information About Marijuana

• In Event: Communication About Drugs and Medication

Abstract

Previous research identifies demographic and psychosocial variables of college students who engage in drug-related information seeking, a significant and positive correlate of intention to use drugs nonmedically. The present study adds to this body of work by exploring how personality traits shape information seeking related to marijuana. Participants ages 18-25 (N=632) and enrolled in a large US university participated in an online survey conducted between October 2012 and December 2013. Personality traits were assessed using a validated abbreviated measure of the Big 5. The Big 5 is a widely used framework measuring personality across five dimensions: Conscientiousness, openness to experience, neuroticism, extraversion, and agreeableness. Agreeableness and neuroticism were positively associated with information seeking about marijuana, accounting for a range of other covariates. The estimated odds of seeking information about marijuana were 1.2 times as high among participants scoring highly in agreeableness [OR = 1.24 (95% CI: 1.01-1.54)]. Similarly, the odds of seeking information about marijuana were 1.2 times as high among participants scoring highly in neuroticism [OR = 1.22 (95% CI: 1.04-1.43)]. Neuroticism moderated the effect of agreeableness on likelihood of seeking marijuana-related information. Among respondents low in agreeableness, with increased levels of neuroticism the predicted likelihood of seeking marijuana-related information increased from 0.10 (95% CI: 0.05 to 0.15) to 0.36 (95% CI: 0.29 to 0.43). Future interventions may consider tailoring materials to reflect the personality profile of information seekers, particularly those who experience high levels of anxiety, or are motivated to appear agreeable to others.

Authors

• Jisoo Ahn, U of Texas - Austin

• Ying Cheng, Michigan State U

• Nehama Lewis, University of Haifa

• Lourdes Martinez, Michigan State U