Abstract
OBJECTIVES: Family Intensive Care Unit Syndrome (FICUS) is a psychological and emotional stress experienced by patients' families during the patient's admission to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and is influenced by a variety of factors. Our aim was to explore the gender-specific effects of personality traits on the mental health status of family members of ICU patients. METHODS: Between October 2022 and May 2023, we selected family members of patients form ICU. We gathered demographic data, personality traits and assessed participants' mental health, including anxiety symptoms, depression symptoms, and sleep quality. RESULTS: A total of 463 participants (271 males and 192 females) were included. Anxiety symptoms was significantly higher in male relatives than in female relatives [54 (51-57) vs 50 (46-55), p < 0.001]. Depression scale score was related to conscientiousness (r = 0.211, p = 0.001) and poor sleep scale score was related to agreeableness (r = 0.147, p = 0.022) in male relatives. In females, neuroticism was associated with poor sleep (OR = 1.676, 95% CI [1.323-2.123], p < 0.001), while in males, neuroticism, conscientiousness, openness and extroversion were associated with poor sleep (OR = 1.345, 95% CI [1.138-1.589], p < 0.001; OR = 1.394, 95% CI [1.198-1.622], p < 0.001; OR = 1.313, 95% CI [1.043-1.652], p = 0.020; OR = 1.147, 95% CI [1.028-1.281], p = 0.014, OR = 0.781, 95% CI [0.635-0.961], p = 0.020). CONCLUSIONS: Male relatives of ICU patients exhibited more severe mental health issues, and personality traits were associated with anxiety symptoms and poor sleep among family members of ICU patients.