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Multicenter Study
. 2015 Nov-Dec;86(6):1794-811.
doi: 10.1111/cdev.12417. Epub 2015 Sep 2.

The Development of Early Profiles of Temperament: Characterization, Continuity, and Etiology

Charles Beekman  1 , Jenae M Neiderhiser  1 , Kristin A Buss  1 , Eric Loken  1 , Ginger A Moore  1 , Leslie D Leve  2 , Jody M Ganiban  3 , Daniel S Shaw  4 , David Reiss  5
Affiliations
Multicenter Study

The Development of Early Profiles of Temperament: Characterization, Continuity, and Etiology

Charles Beekman et al. Child Dev. 2015 Nov-Dec.

Abstract

This study used a data-driven, person-centered approach to examine the characterization, continuity, and etiology of child temperament from infancy to toddlerhood. Data from 561 families who participated in an ongoing prospective adoption study, the Early Growth and Development Study, were used to estimate latent profiles of temperament at 9, 18, and 27 months. Results indicated that four profiles of temperament best fit the data at all three points of assessment. The characterization of profiles was stable over time, while membership in profiles changed across age. Facets of adoptive parent and birth mother personality were predictive of children's profile membership at each age, providing preliminary evidence for specific environmental and genetic influences on patterns of temperament development from infancy to toddlerhood.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Temperament Profiles at 9 Months
Figure 2
Figure 2
Temperament Profiles at 18 Months
Figure 3
Figure 3
Temperament Profiles at 27 Months
Figure 4
Figure 4
Interaction Between Birth Mother’s and Adoptive Father’s Harm Avoidance Predicting Probabilities of Profile Membership at 27 Months Note: AF = Adoptive Father, BM = Birth Mother, HA = Harm Avoidance
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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