Application of the Seven-Factor-Model of Personality to an Italian Preschool Sample

Methodsaa395 preschool children, recruited from pediatric communities and day-care centres throughout Italy, participated in the study. Parents of each child enrolled in the study and completed a PsTCI about the child. Standard psychometric tests of reliability and validation were performed. ResultsaaExploratory factor analyses demonstrated the presence of distinct domains for temperament and character. TCI dimensions had good internal consistency with Cronbach’s alpha ranging values (|0.60|–|0.81|). Gender differences were found for Harm Avoidance (β=-0.186; p≤0.001) and Self-Directedness (β=-0.216; p≤0.01), and accounted for 5–35% of the observed variance. ConclusionaaThe present work suggests the psychological complexity of Cloninger’s model and confirms its application in pre-school children from diverse environmental and cultural backgrounds. The results confirm that Cloninger’s instrument for temperament and character evaluations can also be used with different observers and highlight the importance of considering cultural and demographic differences in the assessment of temperament and character in preschoolers.