14 Nigerian Journal of Psychological Research, 16, Number 2. ©2020, Department of Psychology, University of Nigeria, Nsukka Roles of personality traits, educational level, and duration of illness in illness behaviour among hypertensive patients in Anambra State, Nigeria. Michael Onyeka Ezenwa & Nkechi Vivian Nwagbara* Department of Psychology, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra State, Nigeria. Corresponding author Nkechi Vivian Nwagbara, Department of Psychology, Faculty of the Social Sciences, University of Nigeria, Nsukka. Email: nwagbaravivian@gmail.com ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT This study evaluated the roles of personality traits, educational level, and duration of illness in illness behaviour among hypertensive patients in Anambra State. Three hundred and six- teen patients were drawn from three Government hospitals in the State. The participants comprised of 160 males and 156 females with ages ranging from 18 to 70 years (Mean age = 46.27, SD = 16.93). Two instruments were used in the study: Illness Behaviour Question- naire and Big Five Personality Inventory (BFI). Pearson Product Moment Correlation and hierarchical multiple regression were used for data analysis. It was found that educational level, duration of illness, extraversion, conscientiousness and openness to experience posi- tively predicted illness behaviour such that these factors were associated with more positive behaviours. Agreeableness and neuroticism negatively predicted illness behaviour, refect- ing that these personality traits were associated with negative illness behaviours among hypertensive patients. Based on the fndings, it is recommended that clinical intervention should be encouraged in order to take care of medical and psychosocial factors that precip- itate illness behaviour of hypertensive patients. Keywords: Big fve personality traits, Educational level, Duration of illness, Illness behaviour, Hypertensive patients. * N I G E R I A N J O U R N A L O F P S Y C H O L O G I C A L R E S E A R C H * N J P R Introduction In recent years, the burden of hypertension appears to be rapidly increasing among the Nigeria populace where the health services have focused on treating infectious diseases such as malaria, tuberculosis and typhoid (World Health Organisation, WHO, 2013). Hypertension is the major cause of stroke, heart failure, myocardial infarction, and renal failure, and is responsible for an estimated 45% of deaths due to heart disease and 51% of deaths due to stroke (WHO, 2011). Globally, it is estimated that hypertension afects about one billion people all over the world and it is the leading risk factor for many other cardiovascular diseases (Adeloye, Basquill, Aderemi, Thompson, & Obi, 2015; Beaglehole, Bonita, Alleyne, Horton, Li & Lincoln, 2011; World Bank Nigeria, 2013; WHO, 2013). Hypertension, also known as high or raised blood pressure (BP), is a chronic medical condition in which the BP in the arteries is elevated beyond normal physiological range - systolic blood pressure (SBP) of 100- 139Mm HG (millimeter mercury) and or diastolic blood pressure (DBP) of 60-89Mm Hg (Ike, 2014; Onwubere, 2013; WHO, 2013). It is popularly known as the “silent killer,” because it has no specifc signs and symptoms in the initial stage (Marshall, Wolfe, & McKevitt, 2012). With relative lack of symptoms, most people with hypertension face many challenges such as late diagnosis and life style adjustments such as modifcation of diet, withdrawal from smoking, increase in physical activity/exercise and decrease weight (Hoel & Howard, 2017; Khatib & El-Guindy, 2015). Consequently, many who live with high blood pressure end up in health facilities with cardiovascular complications including strokes, heart attacks, ischemic heart disease, heart failure and kidney failure, all of which are major causes of death in the adult population (Oga, Adebiyi, Oladapo, Adekunle, Oyebowale, & Falase, 2012). The way these hypertensive patients perceive, evaluate, and react to their illness has attracted much attention and this clinical pertinence rests with the speculation that apart from the self-evident somatic factors of illness, how patients react to their illness also contributes to the process of recovery and rehabilitation (Lloyd, 2017). This is the concept of illness behaviour. Illness behaviour refers to the way in which symptoms are perceived, evaluated, and acted upon by a person who recognizes some pain, discomfort or other signs of organic malfunction (Mechanic & Volkart, 1960). It is also referred to as varying ways in which individuals interpret and respond to their body sensations and internal states, defne and interpret symptoms, make attributions, and take action through informal and formal care (Mechanic, 1995; Risor, 2006). It is believed that illness behaviour is critical and a determinant of clinical outcomes especially in conditions such as hypertension where major life adjustments in diet, exercise, and general attitude to living are conditional for efective recovery.