Reliability and validity of the self-report version of the Early Adolescent Temperament Questionnaire - Revised (EATQ-R) Short Form in a Turkish sample.

Abstract

This paper presents the first study to examine the psychometric qualities of a Turkish translation and adaptation of the Early Adolescent Temperament Questionnaire - Revised (EATQ-R). Participants included 1,109 Turkish adolescents (48.7% females) aged 11 to 15 years. Results showed that internal consistency of the broad EATQ-R factors ranged from .65 to .74, internal consistency of the 11 fine-grained scales was comparable to that reported for the original English instrument, and test-retest stability of EATQ-R scales ranged from .60 to .70. Principal axis factoring of the scales revealed a three-factor structure (Effortful Control, Surgency, and Affiliativeness) that roughly reflected the structure obtained in U.S. samples. Item-level factor analysis revealed and confirmed eight factors consistent with a priori scales. Concurrent validity, assessed through correlations between EATQ-R and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) subscales, found that Effortful Control was negatively correlated with Total Difficulties and Hyperactivity-Inattention Problems; Effortful Control, Affiliativeness, and Surgency were positively correlated with Prosocial Behaviors; and Frustration was linked to Emotional, Conduct, Hyperactivity-Inattention, and Total Difficulties. Our results suggest that the EATQ-R is a useful questionnaire to measure reactive and regulative temperamental traits in Turkish children and adolescents.