Structure of observed temperament in middle childhood

Authors

Yuliya Kotelnikova, Western University
Thomas M. Olino, University of Pittsburgh
Sarah V.M. Mackrell, Western University
Patricia L. Jordan, Western University
Elizabeth P. Hayden, Western UniversityFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

10-1-2013

Journal

Journal of Research in Personality

Volume

47

Issue

5

First Page

524

Last Page

532

URL with Digital Object Identifier

10.1016/j.jrp.2013.04.013

Abstract

Although much is known about the structure of adult temperament and personality, significantly less is known about the structure of child temperament. We examined the structure of child temperament in 205 seven-year-olds using observational measures. Exploratory factor analysis identified factors representing positive emotionality/sociability, disinhibition/anger, fear/behavioral inhibition, and sadness. The predictive validity of these dimensions was evaluated by examining their associations with children's internalizing and externalizing symptoms: positive emotionality/sociability showed positive associations with ADHD symptoms, disinhibition/anger showed positive associations with externalizing symptoms, fear/behavioral inhibition showed negative associations with ADHD and CD symptoms, and sadness showed positive associations with both internalizing and externalizing problems. These associations were consistent with extant literature on temperament and psychopathology, supporting the validity of the structure obtained. © 2013 Elsevier Inc.