Temperament¶
Summary
In the SOEP since 2003, two dimensions of temperament in early childhood, “affect” and “activity,” have been measured with five items assessed by one of the parents for children below the age of 2 and for those aged 2-3.
Theoretical Background
Temperament describes the way a person acts and reacts and is comprised of emotions, motor, attention-related reactions, and self-regulation. The concept of the “early childhood temperament” is used in developmental psychopathology and in the research and theory on child and youth psychiatry. Temperament characteristics are treated here as risk factors for the emergence of behavioral disorders, as characteristics influencing parental interactive behavior, and as characteristics that show heightened vulnerability to unfavorable environmental conditions.
Scale Development
Based on an expert report by Pauen & Vonderlin (2007), the Infant Behavior Questionnaire (IBQ) of Rothbart (1981; German version by Pauli-Pott, Mertesacker, & Beckmann, 2003) was used as a point of orientation for the measurement of early child temperament, but shortened significantly.
References
Pauen, S., & Vonderlin, E. (2007). Entwicklungsdiagnostik in den ersten drei Lebensjahren Empfehlungen zum Ausbau des Erhebungsinstrumentariums über Kinder im Sozio- oekonomischen Panel (SOEP). Berlin: DIW Berlin.
Pauli-Pott, U., Mertesacker, B., & Beckmann, D. (2003). Ein Fragebogen zur Erfassung des frühkindlichen Temperaments im Elternurteil. Zeitschrift für Kinder- und Jugendpsychiatrie und Psychotherapie, 31, 99-110.
Rothbart, M. K. (1981). Measurement of temperament in infancy. Child Development, 52, 569-578.
Items
How do you see your child today (Wie sehen Sie Ihr Kind heute):
Affect
My child is generally happy and satisfied (Mein Kind ist meist fröhlich und zufrieden)
My child is easily irritated and cries frequently (Mein Kind ist leicht erregbar und weint häufig)
My child is difficult to console (Mein Kind ist schwer zu trösten)
Scale: 1 (Applies fully / Trifft voll zu) to 4 (Does not apply at all / Trifft gar nicht zu)
Activity
My child is curious and active (Mein Kind ist neugierig und aktiv)
(since 2007) My child is more reserved (Mein Kind ist eher zurückhaltend)
My child is communicative and likes to talk (Mein Kind ist gesprächig und redet gern)
Scale: 1 (Applies fully / Trifft voll zu) to 4 (Does not apply at all / Trifft gar nicht zu)
Items and Scale Statistics
year |
variable |
count |
mean |
sd |
itemrestcorr |
alpha |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2003-2020 |
temp1 |
7155 |
1.23 |
0.47 |
0.36 |
0.62 |
2003-2020 |
temp2R |
7130 |
1.67 |
0.72 |
0.52 |
0.62 |
2003-2020 |
temp3R |
7134 |
1.46 |
0.66 |
0.45 |
0.62 |
2003-2020 |
temp4 |
7080 |
1.25 |
0.52 |
||
2007-2020 |
temp5R |
5866 |
1.69 |
0.70 |
year |
variable |
count |
mean |
sd |
itemrestcorr |
alpha |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2005-2020 |
temp1 |
7576 |
1.26 |
0.48 |
0.31 |
0.54 |
2005-2020 |
temp2R |
7549 |
1.94 |
0.76 |
0.41 |
0.54 |
2005-2020 |
temp3R |
7543 |
1.60 |
0.73 |
0.38 |
0.54 |
2005-2020 |
temp4 |
7563 |
1.19 |
0.45 |
||
2005-2020 |
temp6 |
7541 |
1.37 |
0.67 |