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Observed Profiles of Infant Temperament: Stability, Heritability, and Associations With Parenting

Elizabeth M Planalp1, H Hill Goldsmith1

  • 1University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Child Development
|July 6, 2019
PubMed

Insights

Four infant temperament profiles were identified at 6 and 12 months, showing stability and links to parental stress. The withdrawn/inhibited profile was particularly stable and heritable.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Psychology
  • Behavioral Genetics
  • Child Psychiatry

Background:

  • Infant temperament is crucial for understanding child development.
  • Previous research often used variable-centered approaches.
  • A person-centered approach offers a more nuanced view of temperament.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To identify distinct infant temperament profiles.
  • To examine the stability and heritability of these profiles.
  • To investigate the relationship between infant temperament profiles and parental affect/stress.

Main Methods:

  • Latent profile analysis of observed temperament measures (Laboratory Temperament Assessment Battery) in 990 infants at 6 and 12 months.
  • Parental questionnaires assessed parent affect and stress.
  • Statistical analysis of profile stability, heritability, and correlations with parent variables.

Main Results:

  • Four distinct temperament profiles emerged at each age: typical, low negative, withdrawn/inhibited, and positive/active or low reactive.
  • Evidence for profile stability and heritability was found, especially for the withdrawn/inhibited group.
  • Infant temperament profiles related differently to maternal and paternal affect and stress.

Conclusions:

  • A person-centered approach effectively characterizes infant temperament heterogeneity.
  • Temperament profiles exhibit developmental stability and genetic influence.
  • Parent-infant interactions are influenced by unique combinations of infant temperament and parental factors.

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