01 April 2026 : Clinical Research
Influence of Dark Triad Personality on Attitudes Toward Brain Death, Organ Donation, and Futile Therapy
Marcin Muża
ABCDE 1,2*, Zofia Frączek DEF 3, Paweł Radkowski DE 4,5,6, Hanna Pietruszewska BE 7, Łukasz Grabarczyk EG 8
DOI: 10.12659/MSM.951956
Med Sci Monit 2026; 32:e951956
Table 1 General results.
| Group | Mean | Median | SD | IQR | P value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years) | ST (n=48) | 26.9 | 24.0 | 7.34 | 11.0 | t=−2.309p=0.022 |
| NM (n=88) | 24.0 | 22.5 | 6.82 | 5.0 | ||
| DTS Machiavellianism | ST (n=48) | 28.0 | 28.0 | 4.22 | 7.0 | U=1956p=0.478 |
| NM (n=88) | 28.4 | 29.0 | 5.30 | 5.25 | ||
| DTS Narcissism | ST (n=48) | 25.1 | 25.0 | 3.70 | 5.25 | U=1978p=0.542 |
| NM (n=88) | 24.5 | 24.0 | 4.41 | 5.25 | ||
| DTS Psychopathy | ST (n=48) | 20.7 | 20.0 | 3.97 | 3.25 | U=1998p=0.602 |
| NM (n=88) | 20.4 | 20.0 | 5.16 | 8.00 | ||
| (Q1) Brain death does not exist | ST (n=48) | 2.46 | 2.00 | 1.61 | 3.00 | U=1921p=0.354 |
| NM (n=88) | 2.19 | 1.00 | 1.48 | 2.00 | ||
| (Q2) I would like to be an organ donor… | ST (n=48) | 3.92 | 4.00 | 1.29 | 2.00 | U=1591p=0.014 |
| NM (n=88) | 3.33 | 3.00 | 1.40 | 2.00 | ||
| (Q3) Each patient should be intensively treated… | ST (n=48) | 2.40 | 2.00 | 1.25 | 2.00 | U=2071p=0.849 |
| NM (n=88) | 2.40 | 2.00 | 1.15 | 2.00 | ||
| (Q4) Futile therapy is an unethical practice | ST (n=48) | 3.40 | 3.00 | 1.12 | 1.00 | U=1978p=0.478 |
| NM (n=88) | 3.28 | 3.00 | 0.90 | 1.00 | ||
| Females | ST | N=21 (43.75%) | χ=25.7p<0.001 | |||
| NM | N=75 (85.23%) | |||||
| Males | ST | N=27 (56.25%) | ||||
| NM | N=13 (14.77%) | |||||
| Personal experience…: Yes | ST | N=9 (18.75%) | χ=1.78p=0.673 | |||
| NM | N=14 (15.91%) | |||||
| Personal experience…: No | ST | N=39 (81.25%) | ||||
| NM | N=74 (84.09%) | |||||
| ST – students; NM – non-medically educated individuals. | ||||||