Development of Children’s Olfactory Abilities and Odor Awareness Is Not Predicted by Temperament: a Longitudinal Study

Abstract

Temperament affects olfaction in cross-sectional studies. However, it is not clear whether it is linked to olfactory development. Here we examined the links between temperament and olfaction over a nearly 2-year period, expecting that children showing higher levels of negative affectivity would exhibit greater odor awareness across repeated testing. As a subsidiary aim, we investigated whether olfactory scores differ as a function of olfactory performance at a younger age. The participants were 73 Czech children (mean age = 5.8 years). Their olfactory abilities were assessed using the Sniffin’ Sticks, and odor awareness was evaluated with the Children’s Olfactory Behaviors in Everyday Life Questionnaire. These were reassessed 21 months later. Mothers provided information on the children’s temperament by completing the Short Form of the Children’s Behavior Questionnaire at the same interval. Children’s temperament was not found to relate to olfactory development over a 21-month period. Odor identification and awareness, but not odor discrimination and threshold, differed as a function of scores achieved at an earlier age. Odor identification and awareness predict themselves over a 21-month period. Links between temperament and olfaction may be only beginning to form at preschool age. While this study suggests that temperament does not play a role in olfactory development, longitudinal studies over a broader timespan are needed to determine the robustness of this finding.