Role of Parental bonding in development of Personality traits: A cross-sectional study among medical undergraduates of Jammu

Background: Disproportionate involvement from parents can be detrimental for their child’s personality. A child with a secure parental bonding learns to tackle problems and regulate emotions. Aims & Objectives: This study aimed to assess the personality traits among medical undergraduates, to study the association of various socio-demographic and family related variables with the personality traits, and to assess the correlation between parental bonding and personality. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was carried out among the undergraduate medical students of GMC Jammu. The personality traits were measured by the Big five inventory and parental bonding was measured by Parental bonding instrument. The student t-test, ANOVA, and Pearson's correlation test were employed as tests of significance; a p value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: 260 participants constituted the study population. Mean age was 19.51±1.46 years. Mean (± SD) scores for openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness and neuroticism were (37.97±5.44), (31.85±4.49), (27.58± 4.21), (31.41±3.60) & (26.49±3.36) respectively. Conclusions: Emphasis must be paid to improve the parental bonding with their children so as to promote their development.