Differences in personality and character traits of occupational therapy researchers and non-researchers: A cross-sectional study.
Clara Leong, Kristie J Harper, Shuang Shuang Han and 3 others
PMID 40205890WHAT IT FOUND
Australian occupational therapists who reported research engagement scored higher on love of learning, curiosity, and creativity than those classified as non-researchers.
The other measured traits did not separate the groups, so this describes an association, not a cause.
Key findings
01Researchers had higher mean scores than non-researchers for love of learning (3.67 vs 3.33), curiosity (3.88 vs 3.65), and creativity (3.74 vs 3.49) on a 1 to 5 scale.
02In this sample, higher curiosity was associated with 105% more likelihood of research engagement (OR 2.05; 95% CI 1.05-4.00), higher creativity with an 87% increase in likelihood (OR 1.87; 95% CI 1.01-3.44), and higher love of learning with 82% more likelihood (OR 1.82; 95% CI 1.10-3.03).
03Non-researchers scored higher for perfectionism and organisation, but these differences were not statistically significant, and no further significant differences were observed for other traits.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The study measured traits and research engagement at one time point, so it cannot show that curiosity, creativity, or love of learning caused research engagement, or that research engagement changed these traits. Participants self-reported their research engagement and personality traits, and the paper notes clinicians can under-recognise or misclassify their own research activity. Recruitment was through online channels and professional contacts, so therapists without internet access or those connections were less likely to be included. The sample was not representative of all practice areas; most participants were from acquired brain injury and gerontology. Only 10 selected traits from modified versions of two personality tools were measured, so other traits were not assessed. The non-researcher group included people doing foundational research activities, not only people with no research involvement. The outcomes were research engagement and personality scores, not patient care outcomes.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that occupational therapists who do not engage in research lack curiosity, creativity, or love of learning. The study was cross-sectional and self-reported, so it only found associations in this sample.