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Infant Temperament: An Evaluation of Children with Down Syndrome

Maria A Gartstein1, Julia Marmion, Heather L Swanson

  • 1Department of Psychology, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington.

Journal of Reproductive and Infant Psychology
|March 21, 2008
PubMed

Insights

Infants with Down syndrome (DS) show distinct temperament development, with higher orienting/regulating capacity and lower negative affectivity compared to typically developing infants. This research highlights key differences in early infant behavior.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Psychology
  • Pediatrics
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Down syndrome (DS) is the most common cause of intellectual disability.
  • Central nervous system effects in DS can impact temperament development.
  • Temperament influences infant behavior and regulatory capacities.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate differences in temperament development between infants with Down syndrome and typically developing infants.
  • To compare specific temperament dimensions, including negative affectivity and orienting/regulating capacity.
  • To analyze the influence of Down syndrome on early behavioral characteristics.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized the Infant Behavior Questionnaire-Revised (IBQ-R) for data collection.
  • Recruited parents of infants aged 3 to 12 months.
  • Compared temperament profiles of infants with DS against a control group of normally developing infants.

Main Results:

  • Infants with DS exhibited higher Orienting/Regulating Capacity compared to controls.
  • Children with DS showed lower Negative Affectivity.
  • Specific differences included lower Distress to Limitations and higher Low Intensity Pleasure, Duration of Orienting, Falling Reactivity, and Cuddliness/Affiliation in infants with DS.

Conclusions:

  • Infants with Down syndrome display a unique temperament profile.
  • Temperament differences in DS are characterized by enhanced regulatory capacities and reduced negative emotionality.
  • No significant differences were observed in the intercorrelations of temperament factors between groups.

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