Application of the Seven-Factor-Model of Personality to an Italian Preschool Sample (original) (raw)

Abstract

ObjectiveaaAdvances in dimensional assessment of children in healthy and clinical populations has renewed interest in the study of temperament. Cloninger's Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) has shown high reliability and internal consistency. Adult and adolescent versions have been translated into a number of languages and validated in cross-cultural studies worldwide. To date only one preschool-TCI-based study has been conducted in early infancy with teachers as observers. The present study is aimed to test an Italian Preschool version of the Temperament and Character Inventory (PsTCI). This is the first replication and the first validation study of TCI on preschoolers with parents as observers. Methodsaa395 preschool children, recruited from pediatric communities and day-care centres throughout Italy, participated in the study. Parents of each child enrolled in the study and completed a PsTCI about the child. Standard psychometric tests of reliability and validation were performed. ResultsaaExploratory factor analyses demonstrated the presence of distinct domains for temperament and character. TCI dimensions had good internal consistency with Cronbach's alpha ranging values (|0.60|-|0.81|). Gender differences were found for Harm Avoidance (β=-0.186; p≤0.001) and Self-Directedness (β=-0.216; p≤0.01), and accounted for 5-35% of the observed variance. ConclusionaaThe present work suggests the psychological complexity of Cloninger's model and confirms its application in pre-school children from diverse environmental and cultural backgrounds. The results confirm that Cloninger's instrument for temperament and character evaluations can also be used with different observers and highlight the importance of considering cultural and demographic differences in the assessment of temperament and character in preschoolers. Psychiatry Investig 2014;11(4):419-429

Figures (6)

Table 1. Demographic characteristics of the sample (N=395)

Table 1. Demographic characteristics of the sample (N=395)

Table 2. Orthogonal procrustes rotated structure with congruence coefficients for PSTCI temperament items www.psychiatryinvestigation.org 423

Table 2. Orthogonal procrustes rotated structure with congruence coefficients for PSTCI temperament items www.psychiatryinvestigation.org 423

Loadings with absolute values of 0.40 or more are shown in bold. Theoretically expected loadings have a grey background. *congruence high- er than that of 95% of rotations from random data, **congruence higher than that of 99% of rotations from random data. NS: Novelty Seek- ing, HA: Harm Avoidance, RD: Reward Dependence, PS: Persistence, PSTCI : Preschool version of Temperament and Character Inventory Table 2. Continued

Loadings with absolute values of 0.40 or more are shown in bold. Theoretically expected loadings have a grey background. *congruence high- er than that of 95% of rotations from random data, **congruence higher than that of 99% of rotations from random data. NS: Novelty Seek- ing, HA: Harm Avoidance, RD: Reward Dependence, PS: Persistence, PSTCI : Preschool version of Temperament and Character Inventory Table 2. Continued

Table 3. Orthogonal Procrustes rotated structure with congruence coefficients for PsTCI character items Loadings with absolute values of 0.40 or more are shown in bold. Theoretically expected loadings have a grey background. *congruence high- er than that of 95% of rotations from random data, **congruence higher than that of 99% of rotations from random data. SD: Self-Directed- ness, CO: Cooperativeness, ST: Self-Transcendence, PsTCI: Preschool version of Temperament and Character Inventory

Table 3. Orthogonal Procrustes rotated structure with congruence coefficients for PsTCI character items Loadings with absolute values of 0.40 or more are shown in bold. Theoretically expected loadings have a grey background. *congruence high- er than that of 95% of rotations from random data, **congruence higher than that of 99% of rotations from random data. SD: Self-Directed- ness, CO: Cooperativeness, ST: Self-Transcendence, PsTCI: Preschool version of Temperament and Character Inventory

*p<0.05, **p<0.01 Table 5. Correlations between temperament and character scales and age (N=399)

*p<0.05, **p<0.01 Table 5. Correlations between temperament and character scales and age (N=399)

Table 4. Internal consistency reliabilities (a), test-retest correlations (Pearson r), means, standard deviations (SD), and gender difference: on the PsTCl dimensions PsTCI: Preschool version of Temperament and Character Inventory

Table 4. Internal consistency reliabilities (a), test-retest correlations (Pearson r), means, standard deviations (SD), and gender difference: on the PsTCl dimensions PsTCI: Preschool version of Temperament and Character Inventory

Loading...

Loading Preview

Sorry, preview is currently unavailable. You can download the paper by clicking the button above.

References (60)

  1. Zuckerman M, Cloninger CR. Relationships between Cloninger's, Zuckerman' s, Eysenck' s dimensions of personality. Pers Individ Dif 1996; 21:283-285.
  2. Cloninger CR. Completing the Psychobiological Architecture of Hu- man Personality Development: Temperament, Character, and Coher- ence. In: Staudinger UM, Lindenberger UER, Editors. Understanding Human Development: Dialogues with Lifespan Psychology. London: Kluwer Academic Publishers, 2003, p.159-182.
  3. Staudinger UM, Lindenberger U. Understanding Human Develop- ment: Dialogues with Lifespan Psychology. London: Kluwer Academic Publishers; 2003.
  4. Cervone D. The architecture of personality. Psychol Rev 2004;111:183- 204.
  5. Cervone D. Personality architecture: within-person structures and pro- cesses. Annu Rev Psychol 2005; 56:423-452.
  6. Cloninger CR. Feeling Good: The Science of Well-Being. New York: Oxford University Press; 2004.
  7. Cloninger CR. The psychobiological theory of temperament and char- acter: comment on Farmer and Goldberg (2008). Psychol Assess 2008; 20:292-299.
  8. Cloninger CR. A practical way to diagnose personality disorder: a pro- posal. J Pers Disord 2000;14:99-108.
  9. Cloninger CR. Character strengths and virtues: a handbook and clas- sification. Am J Psychiatry 2005;162:820-821.
  10. Cloninger CR. A systematic method for clinical description and classi- fication of personality variants. Arch Gen Psychiatry 1987;44:573-588.
  11. Paris J. Neurobiological dimensional models of personality: a review of the models of Cloninger, Depue, and Siever. J Pers Disord 2005;19:156- 170.
  12. Lowe JR. Widiger TA. Clinicians' judgments of clinical utility: a com- parison of the DSM-IV with dimensional models of general personali- ty functioning. J Pers Disord 2009;23:211-229.
  13. Cloninger CR, Zohar AH, Cloninger KM. Promotion of well-being in person-centered mental health care. Focus 2010;8:165-179.
  14. Schermelleh-Engel K, Moosbrugger H, Müller H. Evaluating the fit of structural equation models: test of significance and descriptive good- ness-of-fit measures. Method Psychol Res Online 2003;8:23-74.
  15. Goldsmith HH, Campos JJ. Fundamental Issues in the Study of Early Temperament: The Denver Twin Temperament Study. In: Lamb ME, Brown AL, Rogoff B, Editors. Advances in Developmental Psychology (Vol 4). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum, 1986, p.231-283.
  16. Kagan J, Reznick JS, Ckarke C, Snidman N, Garcia-Coll C. Behavioral inhibition to the unfamiliar. Child Dev 1984;55:2212-2225.
  17. Pitzer M, Esser G, Schimdt MH, Laucht M. Temperament predictors of externalizing problems among boys and girls: a longitudinal study in a high-risk sample from ages 3 months to 15 boys. Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci 2009;259:445-458.
  18. Thomas A, Chess S. Temperament and Development. New York: Brun- ner/Mazel; 1977.
  19. Canals J, Hernández-Martínez C, Fernández-Ballart JD. Relationships between early behavioural characteristics and temperament at 6 years. Infant Behav Dev 2011;34:152-160.
  20. Degnan KA, Hane AA, Henderson HA, Moas OL, Reeb-Sutherland BC, Fox NA. Longitudinal stability of temperamental exuberance and social-emotional outcomes in early childhood. Dev Psychol 2011;47: 765-780.
  21. Neppl TK, Donnellan MB, Scaramella LV, Widaman KF, Spilman SK, Ontai LL, et al. Differential stability of temperament and personality from toddlerhood to middle childhood. J Res Pers 2010;44:386-396.
  22. Rubin KH, Burgess KB, Dwyer KM, Hastings PD. Predicting pre- schoolers' externalizing behavior from toddler temperament, conflict, and maternal negativity. Dev Psychol 2003; 39:164-176.
  23. Lindhout IE, Markus MT, Hoogendijk TH, Boer F. Temperament and parental child rearing style unique contributions to clinical anxiety dis- orders in childhood. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2009;18:439-446.
  24. Keltikangas-Jarvinen L, Raikkonen K, Ekelund J, Peltonen L. Nature and nurture in novelty seeking. Mol Psychiatry 2004;9:308-311.
  25. Keltikangas-Jarvinen L, Jokela M. Nature and Nurture in Personality. Focus. J Lifelong Learn Psychiatry 2010;8:180-186.
  26. Gillespie NA, Cloninger CR, Heath AC, Martin NG. The genetic and environmental relationship between Cloninger's dimensions of tem- perament and character. Pers Individ Dif 2003;35:1931-1946.
  27. Cicchetti D, Rogosch FA. Equifinality and multifinality in developmen- tal psychopatology. Dev Psychopathol 1996;8:597-600.
  28. Cloninger CR, Svrakic NM, Svrakic DM. Role of personality self-orga- nization in development of mental order and disorder. Dev Psycho- pathol 1997;9:881-906.
  29. Cho SC, Kim JW, Kim BN, Lee JH, Kim EH. Biogenetic temperament and character profiles and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder symptoms in Korean adolescents with problematic Internet use. Cyber- psychol Behav 2008;11:735-737.
  30. Shin YC, Lim SW, Choi SW, Kim SW, Grant JE. Comparison of tem- perament and character between early-and late-onset Korean male pathological gamblers. J Gambl Stud 2009;25:447-453.
  31. Asch M, Cortese S, Perez Diaz F, Pelissolo A, Aubron V, Orejarena S, et al. Psychometric properties of a French version of the junior tempera- ment and character inventory. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2009;18: 144-153.
  32. Olvera RL, Fonseca M, Caetano SC, Hatch JP, Hunter K, Nicoletti M, et al. Assessment of personality dimensions in children and adolescent with bipolar disorder using the Junior Temperament and Character Inventory. J Child Adolesc Psychopharmacol 2009;19:13-21.
  33. Cho SC, Kim BN, Kim JW, Rohde LA, Hwang JW, Chungh DS, et al. Full syndrome and subthreshold attentiondeficit/hyperactivity disorder in a Korean community sample: comorbidity and temperament find- ings. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2009;18:447-457.
  34. Luby JL, Svrakic DM, McCallum K, Przybeck TR, Cloninger CR. The Junior Temperament and Character Inventory: preliminary validation of a child self-report measure. Psychol Rep 1999;84:1127-1138.
  35. Cho SC, Jung SW, Kim BN, Hwang JW, Shin MS, Kim JW, et al.Tem- perament and character among Korean children and adolescents with anxiety disorders. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2009;18:60-64.
  36. Costantino JN, Cloninger CR, Clarke AR, Hashemi B, Przybeck T. Ap- plication of seven-factor model of personality to early childhood. Psy- chiatry Res 2002;109:229-243.
  37. Cloninger CR, Svrakic DM. Personality Disorders. In: Sadock BJ, Sa- dock VA, Ruiz P, Editors. Kaplan and Sadock's Comprehensive Text- book of Psychiatry. New York: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2009, p.2197-2240.
  38. Cloninger CR, Zohar AH. Personality and the perception of health and happiness. J Affect Disord 2011;128:24-32.
  39. Pukrop R, Syeinbring I, Gentil I, Schulte C, Larstone R, Livesley JW. Clinical validity of the "Dimensional Assessment of Personality Pathol- ogy (DAPP)" for psychiatric patients with and without a personality disorder diagnosis. J Pers Disord 2009;23:572-586.
  40. de la Rie SM, Duijsens IJ, Cloninger CR. Temperament, character, and personality disorders. J Pers Disord 1998;12:362-372.
  41. Beaton D, Bombardier C, Guilleman F. Recommendations for the Cross-Cultural Adaptation of Health Status Measures. American Acad- emy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Rosemont, Illinois: Institute for Work and Health; 1998.
  42. Beaton DE, Bombardier C, Guilleman F, Ferraz MB. Guidelines for the process of cross-cultural adaptation of self-report measures. Spine (Ph- ila Pa 1976) 2000;25:3186-3191.
  43. Axia G. Questionari Italiani del Temperamento. Trento: Edizioni Erik- son; 2002.
  44. Arbuckle JL. Amos (Version 7.0) [Computer Program]. Chicago: SPSS; 2006.
  45. Byrne BM. Structural Equation Modeling with AMOS. Mahwah: Law- rence Erlbaum Associates; 2001.
  46. Kline RB. Principles and Practice of Structural Equation Modeling (2nd Edition). New York: The Guilford Press; 2005.
  47. Hu L, Bentler PM. Cutoff criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis: Conventional criteria versus new alternatives. Struct Equ Modeling 1999;6:1-55.
  48. Schermelleh-Engel K, Moosbrugger H, Müller H. Evaluating the fit of structural equation models: Tests of significance and descriptive good- ness-of-fit measures. Method Psychol Res Online 2003;8:23-74.
  49. Schönemann PH. A generalized solution of the orthogonal procrustes problem. Psychometrika 1966;31:1-10.
  50. Schumacker RE, Beyerlein ST. Confirmatory factor analysis with differ- ent correlation types and estimation methods. Struct Equ Modeling 2000;7:629-636.
  51. Barrett P. Factor comparison: an examination of three methods. Pers Individ Dif 1986;7:327-340.
  52. Cattell RB, Vogelmann S. A comprehensive trial of the scree and KG criteria for determining the number of factors. Multivar Behav Res 1977;12:289-325.
  53. Thurstone LL. Multiple-Factor Analysis: A Development and Expan- sion of the Vectors of Mind. Chicago: University of Chicago Press; 1947.
  54. Cloninger CR. A unified biosocial theory of personality and its role in the development of anxiety states. Psychiatr Dev1986;4:167-226.
  55. Cloninger CR, Przybeck TR, Svrakic DM. The Tridimensional Person- ality Questionnaire: U.S. normative data. Psychol Rep 1991;69:1047- 1057.
  56. Cloninger CR, Svrakic DM, Przybeck TR. A psychobiological model of temperament and character. Arch Gen Psychiatry 1993;50:975-990.
  57. Browne MW, Cudeck R. Alternative Ways of Assessing Model Fit. In: Bollen KA, Long JS, Editors. Testing Structural Equation Models. Bev- erly Hills, CA: Sage Publications, 1993, p.136-162.
  58. Else-Quest NM, Hyde JS, Goldsmith HH, Van Hulle CA. Gender dif- ferences in temperament: a meta-analysis. Psychol Bull 2006;132:33-72.
  59. Werner EE. Protective Factors and Individual Resilience. In: Meisels SJ, Shonkoff M, Editors. Handbook of Early Intervention. New York: Cam- bridge University Press, 1990, p.97-116.
  60. Eisenberg N, Fabes RA, Bernzweig J, Karbon M, Poulin R, Hanish L. The relations of emotionality and regulation to preschoolers' social skills and sociometric status. Child Dev 1993;64:1418-1438.