Temperament in Chinese children: a comparison of gender and self/parental ratings

Abstract

The present study explores the temperamental characteristics of Chinese youth, ages nine to twelve, in Beijing, People's Republic of China (PRC), using the revised Early Adolescent Temperament Questionnaire (EATQ-R, Ellis & Rothbart, 2001). An exploratory factor analysis was conducted on the complete responses from 687 children and 428 mothers. The factorial structure based on Chinese children's self-reports included seven first-order and three second-order factors, differing from Ellis and Rothbart's structure (2001). Significant gender differences were found in both the children's and mothers' reports. An analysis of reports by mothers indicated an interaction between gender and only-child status affecting the temperamental dimension of shyness. Mothers acknowledged the importance of temperament in the formation of their respective children's personalities, but rated it less important than non-individualistic factors such as parental discipline and school education.