The reliability of child temperament assessment

2019 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 16K12170
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Lifelong developmental nursing
• Research Institution: Kitamura Institute of Mental Health Tokyo (2017-2019); Bunkyo Gakuin University (2016)
• Principal Investigator: Ohashi Yukiko 株式会社北村メンタルヘルス研究所, 第一研究部, 客員研究員 (10706732)
• Project Period (FY): 2016-04-01 – 2020-03-31
• Keywords: Temperament Assessment / EASI / PSTCI / CBQ / Measurement Invariance / Cluster Analysis / Typology

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This project consists of three independent studies. study A: To confirm the reliability and validity of 3 temperament measurement tools in use for Japanese toddlers, a net-survey was conducted for 900 Japanese 3- to 4-year-old children’s parents. Study B: To develop crossed age assessment scale for temperament, the second net-survey was conducted for 1338 Japanese parents of 4- to 7-year-old children. Study C: To identify the relation between maternal psycho-social factors during perinatal period and the newborn baby’s temperament, we conducted a longitudinal cohort study for 200 Japanese pregnant women. The main findings were that the Japanese 14-item version of EASI (original 4-factor structure with a general factor combining E and I) could be reliably used in a Japanese population and that there were four typologies of children’s temperament patterns; Average-Active, Regulated, Average-Quiet, and Sensitive/Hyperreactive. Other aspects of the collected data are to be analyzed.

Free Research Field

生涯発達看護学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

乳幼児の気質の正確な評価（アセスメント）は、発達支援、子育て支援にとって重要である。現在、さまざまな気質測定方法が開発されてはいるものの、日本においては、信頼性・妥当性が担保された評価法が少なかった。本研究の成果の一つとして、測定不変性の確認ができた簡易な気質評価法が得られた。また、日本の幼児の4つの気質類型を明らかにできた。従来の気質研究の多くは気質の側面に着目したものであった。本研究成果により、気質プロフィールタイプによる臨床アプローチの発展が考えられる。