The aim of this study: To assess differences in temperament traits in accordance with the regulatory theory of temperament J. Strelau in medical students compared to the general population matched for age and sex derived from the standardization sample of the questionnaire FCZ-KT.
Material and methods: The study was conducted among 202 sixth year students of the Faculty of Medicine, Medical University of Łódź in the academic year 2008/2009. Among those respondents were 140 women (69%) and 62 men (31%). The average age of students enrolled was 24.7 years (range: 23-29). They were asked to complete a survey on demographic variables and temperament questionnaire FCZ-KT developed and standardized by B. Zawadzki and J. Strelau.
Results: There were no significant differences in the severity of the four temperament traits consistent with the theory of regulatory J. Strelau temperament: Lively, Sensory Sensitivity, Strength, and Activity. Significant differences were observed in the Perseverance (p < 0.0001) and Reactivity emotional (p < 0.0001), with a significantly lower severity of these characteristics were observed among the students of sixth year medical faculty in comparison with the general population. The strength of the effects observed, expressed as standardized difference in mean belongs to the moderate and significant (coefficient of Cohen's d > 0.6).
Conclusions: Students of the Medical Faculty are substantially different from the temperamental traits of people in the same age range and same-sex couples in the general population. Students of the Medical Faculty are characterized by lower emotional reactivity and perseverance. Characterized by their weaker tendency to respond to intense emotions and the harmful stimuli associated with the greater resistance and less sensitivity and a weaker trend to continue their behavior and emotional experience after discontinuation of the situation which caused this behavior. Conduct a study of sixth year students of one medical school is likely to result in restrictions on the relevance of external applications and the ability to generalize the entire population of medical students in Poland.