Negative and positive affectivity: Toward a hierarchical structure of temperament in school-age children

Few studies have investigated the convergent, discriminant and external validity of self-reported temperament in school-age children, examined the overlap of temperament with affectivity, and investigated relations to symptoms of internalizing disorders. Self-report measures of positive affect and negative affect, temperament, and symptoms of depression and anxiety were completed by 251 10- to 16-year-old children (mean age = 13 years; SD = 1.7 years). Parents completed measures of their children's temperament and affect. Data was analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis and multitrait-multimethod comparisons. A four-factor model largely similar to Buss and Plomin's (1984) five-factor model of adult temperament fit the children's self-reported temperament best and this model was consistent across late childhood and early adolescent age groups. A two-factor hierarchical trait model of Positive Affectivity/Surgency (PA/S) and Negative Affectivity/Neuroticism (NA/N) emerged from the substantial overlap of the lower-order affect and temperament factors suggesting correspondence to similar higher order factors in adult personality. Multitrait-multimethod and confirmatory factor analyses supported a four-factor model of temperament and affectivity, with separate child and parent PANS and NA/N factors, and provided the best fit for child- and parent-repors of temperament and affectivity. All models suggest direct correspondence to similar higher-order latent factors in adult personality and were significantly related to child reported symptom measures of depression and anxiety in a pattern of relations consistent with the tripartite model of anxiety and depression in adults. Although latent Child PANS and NA/N factors predicted symptoms of depression and anxiety, Parent PANS and NA/N factors did not contribute significant additional variance, beyond that added by the child latent PANS and NA/N variables, to the prediction of the child-reported symptoms of internalizing psychopathology. The current results are a step forward to bridge the gap between child and adult individual differences research in adolescent personality development and developmental psychopathology, in addition to establishing a notable degree of convergent, discriminant and external validity for the utility of a self-report of temperament for school-age children.