A Study on the Status of Cognitive Failures and Their Relationship with Individual Factors and Personality Traits among Midwives Working in Kermanshah Province

Objectives: Cognitive failures are important for reducing accidents and improving performance, and they depend on multiple factors. Given that this issue has received less attention among midwives, the present study aimed to determine the status of cognitive failures concerning individual factors and personality traits among midwives. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in the summer of 2024 on 211 midwives working in Kermanshah province in Iran. The samples were selected using a convenience sampling method. In addition, a standard three-part questionnaire was used. The first part included demographic information, and the second and third parts included questions from the Cognitive Failures Questionnaire and the short form of the NEO Personality Inventory. Moreover, data were analyzed using the SPSS (version 24) software. Results: The mean age and work experience of the midwives participating in this study were 36.22±8.03 years and 10.38±7.85 years, respectively. The overall scores for cognitive failures in memory, action, and attention were 16.79±3.04, 17.41±2.80, and 16.30±3.62, in respective order. The results revealed a positive relationship between age, work experience, and body mass index (BMI) with cognitive failures and a negative relationship between exercising and cognitive failures. Neuroticism, agreeableness, and openness were positively related to cognitive failures, while conscientiousness was negatively related to cognitive failures. Conclusion: The status of cognitive failures in the action dimension was more unfavorable than the other two dimensions. Some individual and personality traits were directly, and others inversely related to cognitive failures. Further research in this area is necessary.