title: Affective temperament traits measured by TEMPS-I and emotional-behavioral problems in clinically-well children, adolescents, and young adults.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The identification of specific temperament dimensions as correlates or risk factors for psychopathology in infancy, childhood and adolescence might provide key information to elucidate causal mechanisms that underlie these relationships.
  
  
  METHODS
  A non-clinical sample of 1010 students (518 males and 492 females) without major psychiatric disorders was given psychometric assessment using TEMPS-I (the Italian Semi-structured Interview version of the Temperament Evaluation of Memphis, Pisa, and San Diego) and EBC (Emotional and Behavioral Checklist in Infancy, Childhood and Adolescence). Grouping the subjects on the basis of the highest z-score obtained on each of the four temperament scales of TEMPS-I, it was possible to identify the dominant affective temperamental (AT) inclination of each individual: 283 (28.0%) subjects were classified as dominant depressive temperament, 446 (44.2%) as dominant hyperthymic, 221 (21.9%) as dominant cyclothymic, and 60 (5.9%) as dominant irritable. The effects of AT dominant groups on EBC scores were tested by one-way analysis of variance. To control for age and sex effects, we tested the differences within dominant AT groups by a multiple classification analysis (MCA).
  
  
  RESULTS
  As expected, subjects with depressive temperament traits were characterized by social inhibition and lack of antisocial and hyperactive behavior. Cyclothymic subjects reported the highest number of emotional and behavioral problems, compared with the other dominant ATs (depressive, hyperthymic and irritable). In particular, a cyclothymic disposition was most frequently associated with anxiety-sleep disturbances, sensitivity to separation, eating disturbances in females and antisocial-aggressive behavior in males. The relationship between cyclothymic temperament and anxiety-sleep disturbances and antisocial-aggressive behavior increased with age.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Cross-sectional study based on retrospective evaluation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Within a juvenile population, depressive temperament is a construct partially overlapping with behavioral inhibition, while extremes of emotionality and behaviors occur preponderantly in those with cyclothymic traits. The cyclothymic disposition turned out to be the most 'morbid', and associated with both internalizing and externalizing disturbances.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Behavioral Sciences, Carrara, Italy.
authors.forename: Salvatore
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Signoretta
authors.forename: Icro
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Maremmani
authors.forename: Antonia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Liguori
authors.forename: Giulio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Perugi
authors.forename: Hagop S
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Akiskal
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000342:Affective Symptoms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D002653:Child Behavior Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007558:Italy; D007802:Language; D010552:Personality Assessment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010553:Personality Development; D010555:Personality Inventory / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012016:Reference Values; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012307:Risk Factors; D013694:Temperament / Q000145:classification