Personality Traits and HIV/AIDS Vulnerability: HIV/AIDS Knowledge as Mediator Among Post-Graduate Agriculture Students in Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.65150/EP-jsshrs/V2E9/2026-18Keywords:
HIV/AIDS, Mediator, Personality Traits, and KnowledgeAbstract
Students of agriculture in tertiary institutions are immense potential and valuable human capital to agricultural development projects all around the world, especially on the African Continent. Therefore, it is imperative that their sexual health be given adequate attention as negligence can result in immediate or long-term agricultural and economic devolution. Given that HIV/AIDS is a major health challenge in Sub-Saharan Africa; this study examined the relationship existing between the personality trait and HIV/AIDS vulnerability of agriculture students in the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB). A simple random sampling technique was adopted in selecting 233 post-graduate students from the three (3) agricultural colleges in the University. Using a structured questionnaire, data were obtained based on the study objectives. Data were analyzed using Descriptive statistics (percentage, mean, frequency counts and standard deviation), Pearson Moment Correlation coefficient (PPMC) and Hierarchical regression (HCR) technique. Results showed that the mean age of respondents was 29 years, 50.8% of the respondents were male while 82.8% were single and 62.2% resided off-campus. However, 51.7% and 52.1% of the respondents indicated high levels of optimism and self-esteem respectively while 65.8% showed low depressive personality. Results also showed that 83.6% of the respondents displayed high level of knowledge about HIV/AIDS, 65.2% showed low risky sexual behavior while 52.5% displayed low moral norms. HCR revealed that of the personal characteristics of respondents, only religion was related to HIV/AIDS knowledge (b = 0.43, p<0.05). Also, optimism was related to risky sexual behavior (b = -0.03, p<0.05), and HIV/AIDS knowledge was related to moral norm (b = 0.62, p<0.05). In conclusion, the knowledge of HIV/AIDS by respondents was found not to be a mediator of the relationship between their personality traits and vulnerability to HIV/AIDS. Thus, this study recommended that FUNAAB authority endeavor to work with campus religious bodies to enlighten agriculture students on HIV/AIDS bearing in mind that focal university environment has a predominance of young and single individuals who would like to explore their sexuality.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Shobayo, K. O. W., Ladebo, O. J. , Atilade, B. S. (Author)
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