Abstract
<p>The present study investigated the interrelationships among Big Five personality traits, friendship quality, and mental health indicators among Pakistani university students. We used a cross-sectional survey design, and 133 participants (aged 18-25; 75.2% female) completed the Big Five Inventory-15, McGill Friendship Questionnaire, and Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21. Pearson correlations showed that none of the five personality traits (Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, Neuroticism) was significantly related to friendship quality. On the other hand, friendship quality showed a significant negative relationship with stress and depression, supporting its role as a protective psychosocial factor. Gender comparisons using independent-samples t-tests indicated that female participants scored significantly higher on neuroticism and anxiety than male participants. The low internal consistency of the personality subscales (alpha = .582) is acknowledged as a key limitation that may have weakened the observed correlations. These findings are important for educational and clinical practice in collectivist settings, suggesting that interventions promoting friendship quality may help reduce psychological distress among university students. Future research should employ longer, more reliable personality inventories and longitudinal designs to clarify causal pathways.</p>