Abstract
BACKGROUND: Effective coping is indispensable for negotiating the challenges of medical college. Numerous factors affect the choice and usefulness of coping strategies, and personality holds considerable significance among these. AIM: We planned the present study to investigate coping-personality relationships in medical students, identify common coping strategies used, and study the influence of demographic factors on coping. METHODS: Students completed questionnaires with demographic details and two self-report scales: Big-Five Inventory (personality) and Brief COPE (coping). RESULTS: Out of the 300 forms distributed, 256 responses met the inclusion criteria. Brief COPE scores were higher for engagement/adaptive coping. Significant correlations were found between various coping strategies and personality traits. Conscientiousness correlated the most with adaptive strategies and neuroticism with maladaptive ones. We conclude that engagement coping is used more commonly by medical students. CONCLUSION: Those with high conscientiousness and low neuroticism are more likely to use effective coping strategies.