Validation of the Temperament Evaluation of Memphis, Pisa, Paris and San Diego (TEMPS-A): Portuguese-Lisbon version.
BACKGROUND
The TEMPS-A has been validated in 8 languages, the original being American English, and includes among others such Latin languages as Italian, French, and Spanish-Buenos Aires. This is the first Portuguese-Lisbon validation.


METHODS
The sample included 1173 students from six different universities and representing most disciplines (such as medicine, law, humanities, engineering, etc.), both sexes (67% female), and ages between 17 and 58 (x+/-SD=21+/-4). Standard psychometric tests were used for internal consistency, validity, and factor analysis.


RESULTS
The study upheld the 5 Factor proposed structure of TEMPS-A. Cronbach alpha varied from 0.67 for the depressive and 0.83 for the anxious, with the others in-between. We could retain all 110 items of the Interview Schedule. The highest mean scores were found for the hyperthymic, and the lowest for the irritable. As expected, depressive and anxious subscales had strong correlations, followed by the cyclothymic and anxious, and cyclothymic and irritable; in exploratory factor analysis, these subscales constituted Factor I, contrasted to the depressive and the hyperthymic as a biphasic continuum (Factor II). Females scored higher on the depressive, cyclothymic and anxious, and the males on hyperthymic and irritable. Overall, however, no temperament was "dominant" in this population, all temperaments z-scores being 3.3-4%!


CONCLUSIONS
Study limited to university students of young age.


CONCLUSIONS
TEMPS-A Lisbon is a reliable and valid instrument. The only relatively weak factor is the depressive, which is similar to other language versions. Gender differences and correlations of temperaments are generally similar to other countries. What appears relatively special to the Portuguese is the relatively "balanced" mix of temperaments in this university student population.
Figueira
M Luisa
ML
Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Lisbon, Santa Maria Hospital, Lisbon, Portugal.
Caeiro
Lara
L
Ferro
Ana
A
Severino
Lara
L
Duarte
Pedro M
PM
Abreu
Manuela
M
Akiskal
Hagop S
HS
Akiskal
Kareen K
KK
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D003527:Cyclothymic Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007508:Irritable Mood; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010555:Personality Inventory / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011174:Portugal; D011594:Psychometrics; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012737:Sex Factors; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013694:Temperament; D014177:Translations; D014495:Universities; D044465:White People