TEMPERAMENTAL ADAPTABILITY, PERSISTENCE, AND REGULARITY: PARENTAL RATINGS OF NORWEGIAN INFANTS AGED 6 TO 12 MONTHS,...

Area of Science:

• Developmental Psychology
• Infant Mental Health
• Behavioral Science

Background:

• Standardized infant temperament measures are crucial for effective prevention and early intervention.
• The Cameron-Rice Infant Temperament Questionnaire (CRITQ) is a validated tool used in the U.S.
• The
• Little in Norway
• study provides a unique dataset for cross-cultural validation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide Norwegian data on the CRITQ, assessing its psychometric properties.
• To examine the reliability and factor structure of infant temperament dimensions (persistence, adaptability, regularity).
• To investigate parent-infant temperament ratings, their stability, and relation to parenting stress.

Main Methods:

• Longitudinal study of 1,041 Norwegian families, collecting data at 6 and 12 months.
• Mothers and fathers completed the 46-item Cameron-Rice Infant Temperament Questionnaire (CRITQ).
• Confirmatory factor analysis was used to assess the unifactorial nature of key dimensions.

Main Results:

• Internal consistencies for CRITQ dimensions were comparable to U.S. findings.
• Temperament dimensions of persistence, adaptability, and regularity demonstrated acceptable reliability.
• Parental ratings showed stability from 6 to 12 months, with variations noted.

Conclusions:

• Temperamental adaptability, persistence, and regularity are relevant for infant assessment and prevention trials.
• Understanding individual differences in infant temperament enhances parent-infant transaction insights.
• These findings support the CRITQ's utility in enriching preventative interventions for infant development.