Personality and the use of oral contraceptives in British University Students

Abstract

This study investigates the pattern and personality correlates of oral contraceptive use in a sample of 238 unmarried female students at Sheffield University. Data collected by anonymous questionnaires revealed that 41.6% of the sample employed oral contraception. Usage increased with age and with year of study at the University, and there were significant differences in use in different faculties (girls in the faculties of social science and law being most likely to use the pill and girls in the faculties of pure science and engineering being least likely to use it). Use of the pill is also related to professed political sympathies—its popularity being lowest in the politically uncommitted group and increasing from the political right to the political left wing. Pill users were found to have a significantly less positive attitude toward religion (as assessed by Poppleton's and Pilkington's “Religious Attitude Scale”) and to be significantly more feminist (as assessed by a modified version of Kirkpatrick's “Belief Pattern Scale”) than non-pill users. While no differences were found between users and non-users on extraversion (measured by the “Eysenck Personality Inventory”), users were found to score significantly lower than non-users on neuroticism. Inter-relationships between these variables are discussed. It is suggested that further study of the personality correlates of contraceptive practice is essential to the development of effective programs of population control.