BP International: EASI

Sunday, 13 December 2020

Study on the Typology of Temperament of Japanese Children Aged 3 and 4 | Chapter 11 | Current Topics in Medicine and Medical Research Vol. 11

Background: Very early in life, variations between children arise. One such differentiation is the temperament of babies. It was a major clinical and research issue. The definition of temperament is debatable, however it has been defined differently by several researchers. Although most temperament studies are variable-centered, the structure of temperament has seldom been questioned from a person-centered viewpoint (i.e., typology of temperament). The aim of our study is to use the EASI survey and a two-step cluster analysis to classify the temperamental typology of Japanese infants. Methods: A net-survey of 531 mothers and 369 fathers of a 3- or 4-year-old child in Japan collected data. The EASI with 4 subscales (Emotionality (E), Action (A), Sociability (S), and Impulsivity (I)) and the Child Behavior Checklist were distributed (CBCL). Results: 4 clusters were performed in a two-step cluster analysis: the first cluster (n = 288) was characterised as the highest S and mildly high A and I, and was therefore viewed as Average-Active. In E, A and I, the second cluster (n = 179) was low, but slightly high in S, and was therefore interpreted as controlled. In I and E, the third cluster (n = 288) was almost the same amount as the first cluster, but in A and S it was slightly low, and thus perceived as Average-Quiet. In E, A and I, but low in S, the fourth cluster (n = 145) was high, and thus interpreted as Sensitive/Hyperreactive. Regulated children scored the lowest on the CBCL subscales in internalising and outsourcing habits, while Sensitive/Hyperreactive children scored the highest on these subscales. Conclusion: The recognition of such groups may assist us to choose various typology-based parenting or intervention strategies. Children's temperaments and parenting behaviour have been known to affect each other independently. We defined four typologies interpretable as Average-Active, Controlled, Average-Quiet, and Sensitive/Hyper-reactive of children's temperament patterns. This research is to the best of our understanding, the first study of temperament typology in a large population of Japanese children.

Author(s) Details

Yukiko Ohashi
Josai International University, Togane, Chiba, Japan and Kitamura Institute of Mental Health Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.

Toshinori Kitamura
Kitamura Institute of Mental Health Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan, Kitamura KOKORO Clinic Mental Health, Tokyo, Japan, T. and F. Kitamura Foundation for Studies and Skill Advancement in Mental Health, Tokyo, Japan and Department of Psychiatry, Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Japan.

View Book :- https://bp.bookpi.org/index.php/bpi/catalog/book/331

A Critical Study on the EASI: Factor Structure and Measurement and Structural Invariance between the Parent’s Gender, the Child’s Age and Two Measurement Time Points| Chapter 10 | Current Topics in Medicine and Medical Research Vol. 11

Background: The EASI (Emotionality, Movement, Sociability and Impulsivity measurement) is a commonly used instrument to assess the temperament of children. However it has seldom studied its factor function and its calculation and structural invariances. The goal of our analysis is to report the EASI factor structure in a larger population in Japan in search of the model that matches the data adequately as well as the measurement and structural invariance of the final model. Methods: 531 mothers and 369 fathers of 3- to 4-year-old Japanese children gathered data from a net survey. A test-retest sample of 173 mothers and 127 fathers from the first group of participants was conducted. Results: An appropriate fit was shown by the original 4-factor structure (excluding 6 items) with a general factor (influencing E and I). Measurement and structural invariance between fathers and mothers, boys and girls, 3- and 4-year-olds, and times 1 and 2 have also been fulfilled by this model. In terms of the means of certain factor scores, differences arose between mothers and fathers. Conclusion: Our research showed that the factor structure of the EASI was invariant in terms of the gender of parents and children, age of children and opportunities for measurement. This is promising as it encourages the use of EASI in both clinical and research environments. As well as a compo-site score of E and I, we suggest the use of 4 subscale ratings.

Author(s) Details