Systematic review and meta-analysis of the relation between personality traits and preference for traditional, complementary, and alternative medicine

This preregistered systematic review and meta-analysis examined associations between personality and traditional, complementary, and alternative medicine (TCAM) preference, including, but not limited to, attitudes, use, and intention to use. We synthesized evidence from 35 published and unpublished observational and experimental studies (k = 405, N = 44,434). In multilevel meta-analytic models with cluster-robust variance estimation, Big Five and HEXACO traits had overall negligible correlations (r = -0.05–0.06) with TCAM preference. In contrast, the Disintegration trait showed a small positive association (r = 0.19, CI [0.06, 0.32]), albeit most of the effects (k = 33 out of 40) came from a single paper. Moderator analyses revealed that the relationship between TCAM preference and Extraversion, Openness to Experience and Disintegration varied across several factors. No systematic evidence of publication bias was detected. Psychotic-like experiences and behaviors, as captured by Disintegration, may offer a promising direction for understanding TCAM preferences, warranting further investigation.