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The Early Infancy Temperament Questionnaire
B Medoff-Cooper1, W B Carey, S C McDevitt
1University of Pennsylvania, School of Nursing, Philadelphia 19104-6096.
Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics : JDBP
|August 1, 1993
Summary
The Early Infancy Temperament Questionnaire (EITQ) is a new tool for assessing infant temperament in babies aged 1-4 months. This reliable questionnaire helps researchers and clinicians understand early childhood temperament and its clinical implications.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Pediatrics
- Child Psychiatry
Background:
- Existing temperament assessment scales are not well-suited for infants under four months old.
- There is a need for a reliable tool to evaluate temperament in early infancy.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce and validate the Early Infancy Temperament Questionnaire (EITQ).
- To assess the nine New York Longitudinal Study temperament characteristics in infants aged 1-4 months.
Main Methods:
- The EITQ is a 76-item parent-completed questionnaire, adapted from the Revised Infant Temperament Questionnaire.
- Standardization involved 404 infants from a single pediatric practice.
- Internal consistency and test-retest reliability were evaluated for nine temperament categories.
Main Results:
- Internal consistency for the nine categories ranged from .42 to .76.
- Test-retest reliability ranged from .43 to .87, with higher scores in older infants.
- No significant gender differences were found in any temperament category.
Conclusions:
- The EITQ is a developmentally appropriate and reliable instrument for assessing temperament in 1- to 4-month-old infants.
- This questionnaire will aid researchers and clinicians in understanding infant temperament and its relation to clinical issues.