Junior Temperament Research Articles

0971 Mother’s Parenting Style As A Moderator In The Relationship Between Temperament And Sleep Problems In Children With Obesity

Abstract Introduction Based on past studies, a child’s temperament and parenting style greatly affect a child’s sleep. However, there are limited studies that have investigated how parenting styles and a child’s temperament interact and affect the child’s sleep in obese children. Thus, this study investigated parenting styles as a moderator in the relationship between temperament and sleep in obese children. Methods Seventy-seven obese children (male=66.2%, average BMI = 27.35±2.78) participated in the study. The mean age of the participants was 10.82(± 1.00) years. The primary caregiver (mother) of the participants completed the Junior Temperament and Character Inventory (J-TCI), and Parents as Social Context Questionnaire (K-PSCQ), and Children’s Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ). Among the different subscales, only Novelty Seeking (NS) and Reward Dependence (RD) were used for analysis among Junior Temperament and Character Inventory (J-TCI) components. Results In this sample, 66 children (85.7%) reported significant levels of sleep problems based on the CSHQ. Novelty seeking (NS) and reward dependence (RD) significantly predicted sleep problems (B=-.771, p<.05, B=-.683, p<.01). Additionally, mother’s negative parenting style moderated the relationship between NS and the child’s sleep problem [B=.03, 95% CI=.007, .049] and the relationship between RD and the child’s sleep problem [B=.031, 95% CI=.013, .049]. The more negative mother’s parenting style, the higher the child’s NS or RD scores had a negative effect on sleep. Conclusion The results of this study show that obese children experience high levels of sleep disturbance. Additionally, the mother’s negative parenting style moderated the relationship between temperament and sleep problems in obese children. The results suggest that sleep interventions for obese children should include the mother, especially in children with high novelty seeking and reward dependence. Support This work was supported by Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention & Korea National Research Institute of Health (2019020660E-00)

Defining Subtypes in Children with Nail Biting: A Latent Profile Analysis of Personality.

ObjectiveThis study aimed to examine personality profiles and behavioral problems of children with nail biting (NB) to gain insight into the developmental trajectory of pathological NB. Methods681 elementary school students were divided into non NB (n=436), occasional NB (n=173) and frequent NB group (n=72) depending on the frequency of NB reported in Child Behavioral Checklist (CBCL). Children’s personality was assessed using the Junior Temperament and Character Inventory (JTCI), and behavioral problems were assessed using the CBCL. Latent Profile Analysis (LPA) was performed using JTCI profiles to classify personalities of the children with NB (belonging to frequent and occasional NB group, n=245). ResultsFor subscale scores of CBCL, the total, internalizing, externalizing, anxious/depressed withdrawn/depressed, depression, thought, rule-breaking, and aggressive behavior problems, were most severe in the frequent NB group followed by occasional NB and non NB group. LPA of personality profile in children with NB revealed four classes (‘adaptiveness,’ ‘high reward dependence,’ ‘low self-directedness,’ and ‘maldaptiveness’). The four personality classes demonstrated significant group differences in all of the CBCL subscales. Children who showed low self-directedness and cooperativeness and high novelty seeking and harm avoidance personality profiles demonstrated highest tendency for problematic behavior irrespective of the frequency of NB. ConclusionChildren with NB reported significantly more problematic behaviors compared to children without NB. Children with specific personality profile demonstrated higher tendency for problematic behavior irrespective of the frequency of NB. Therefore, accompanying personality profiles should be considered when assessing behavioral problems in children with NB.

The Psychobiological Model of Personality and its Association with Student Approaches to Learning: Integrating Temperament and Character

ABSTRACT Personality results from the complex interactions among multiple learning and memory systems. There is a need to examine the personality-learning association using a personality model that captures this complexity: Cloninger’s psychobiological model. The study addresses this need using a person-centered approach. In total, 686 adolescents completed the Junior Temperament and Character Inventory (JTCI) and a measure of approaches to learning. Students with a “steady” temperament showed a preference for the deep approach. Students with high character coherence also had this preference. A temperament profile-by-character profile interaction was crucial for understanding students’ preferred approach to learning. These findings imply that adaptive learning approaches result from an integration of major systems of learning and memory, as measured by the Temperament and Character Inventory.

What Makes Korean Youth Happy: Self-Directedness Mediates the Relationship between Parenting and Subjective Well-Being

Korean adolescents have a lower subjective well-being compared to their counterparts in other Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development member countries as well as experience more psychological difficulties than adults. Previous research shows that parenting behavior has a considerable influence on adolescent subjective well-being. Additionally, the personality dimension of self-directedness, the ability to regulate personal behavior to obtain onindividual goals, has a positive influence on subjective well-being. This study analyzed the structural relationship between parenting behavior, self-directedness, and the subjective well-being of Korean adolescents as well as investigated the mediating effect of self-directedness in the relationships between parenting behaviors and the subjective well-being of adolescents. Participants were 325 middle school students in Gwangju, Korea, who completed measures of self-directedness (from the Korean Junior Temperament and Character Inventory), subjective well-being (Well-Being Scale of Adolescents in Korea), and perceived parenting behaviors (My Memories of Upbringing - Short Korean version). Results showed that emotional warmth had a statistically significant direct impact on adolescents’ subjective well-being. However, the findings also indicated a statistically significant indirect impact mediated by self-directedness. Rejection and overprotection had a statistically significant indirect effect on adolescents’ subjective well-being that was mediated by self-directedness. The results provide information that can be used to develop programs to improve the subjective well-being of adolescents as well as confirm the importance of parenting behavior and self-directedness during adolescence.

Temperament and Character Profiles Associated with Internalizing and Externalizing Problems in Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

ObjectiveThis study aimed to identify temperament and character profiles associated with internalizing and externalizing problems in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). MethodsChildren with ADHD (n=114, 8.51±1.87 years) were selected from the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Jeju National University Hospital. They were diagnosed by Kiddie-Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia-Present and Lifetime Version and evaluated using the Advanced Test of Attention and Korean Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Fourth Edition. Their parents completed the ADHD Rating Scale, Korean-Child Behavioral Checklist, and Junior Temperament and Character Inventory. ResultsThe participants with both internalizing and externalizing problem had more severe ADHD symptoms and significantly higher novelty seeking, harm avoidance, and self-transcendence, as well as lower self-directedness and cooperativeness than those who had not comorbid problems. Harm avoidance was correlated with their level of internalizing problems regardless of severity of ADHD symptoms. In addition, novelty seeking and sex (male) were being associated with the level of externalizing problems. ConclusionDifferences were observed in the temperament and character profiles of children with ADHD according to their comorbid psychopathology. Results suggested that temperament and character profiles may affect the comorbid psychopathology in children with ADHD regardless of ADHD symptom severity.

Relationships between emotional disorders, personality dimensions, and binge eating disorder in French obese adolescents

PurposeBinge eating disorder (BED) is associated with higher psychopathology, including emotional and personality disorders, in the adult population, whether or not they are obese; although few data are available on adolescents, particularly among obese adolescents. ObjectiveTo explore the association of both emotional disorders and personality dimensions with BED in obese adolescents. MethodsThe sample consisted of 115 French adolescents enrolled at a clinical unit for the multidisciplinary care of their overweight or obesity. BED was defined using the Binge Eating Scale (BES). Emotional disorders and personality dimensions were assessed using the following tools: Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), Junior Temperament and Character Inventory (JTCI); impulsivity was determined by the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS) and the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS). Associations between emotional disorders (BDI/BAI) and personality dimensions (TAS/BIS/JTCI), considered first separately and then jointly with BED were determined with multivariate analysis. ResultsMore severe depression (β=0.27, CI [0.06; 0.48], P=0.011), a higher level of excess weight (β=1.91, CI [0.22; 3.59], P=0.027), older age (β=1.28, CI [0.43; 2.14], P=0.003), and greater cooperativeness (β=0.36, CI [0.07; 0.66], P=0.017) were independently significantly associated with the presence of BED. ConclusionsThis cross-sectional study underlines the co-occurrence of emotional and personality disorders with BED. This points out the importance of a multidisciplinary approach and the relevance of a joint diagnosis of binge eating, emotional disorders, and personality dimensions in obese adolescents, for better prevention and treatment of pediatric obesity.

Application of Diagnostic Interview for Internet Addiction (DIA) in Clinical Practice for Korean Adolescents.

The increased prevalence of Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) and the inclusion of IGD in DSM-5 and ICD-11 emphasizes the importance of measuring and describing the IGD symptoms. We examined the psychometric properties of the Diagnostic Interview for Internet Addiction (DIA), a semi-structured diagnostic interview tool for IGD, and verified the application of DIA in clinical practice for Korean adolescents. The DIA is conducted in a manner that interviews both adolescents and their caregivers, and each item has a standardized representative question and various examples. It consists of 10 items based on the DSM-5 IGD diagnostic criteria, which is cognitive salience, withdrawal, tolerance, difficulty in regulating use, loss of interest in other activities, persistent use despite negative results, deception regarding Internet/games/SNS use, use of Internet/games/SNS to avoid negative feelings, interference with role performance, and craving. The study included 103 adolescents divided into three subgroups (mild risk, moderate risk, and addicted group) based on the total score of DIA. Demographic and clinical characteristics were compared among the DIA subgroups using the chi-square test and analysis of variance (ANOVA), and correlation analysis was used to examine the associations of IGD symptoms with clinical variables (e.g., impulsivity, aggression, depression, anxiety, self-esteem). The DIA total score was significantly correlated with Internet and smartphone addiction, depression, state anxiety, self-esteem, impulsivity, aggression, and stress. Furthermore, the moderate risk and addicted group showed significantly higher levels of Internet and smartphone addiction, anxiety, depression, impulsivity, aggression, stress, and lower self-esteem compared with the mild risk group. The Junior Temperament and Character Inventory (JTCI), which measures temperament and character traits, revealed that the mild risk group had higher levels of persistence and self-directedness than did the addicted group. Our findings confirmed the psychometric properties of DIA and the application of the DIA classifications in Korean adolescents.

Temperament and character profiles for children with ADHD with and without tic disorders

There is no research about whether ADHD with tic disorder that temperamental features that differ from the ADHD. This research aimed to identify temperament and character profiles for children with ADHD according to tic disorder by comparing them with a healthy control group. A discriminant analysis was conducted to identify whether temperament and character profiles can discriminate comorbidity. The sample consisted of three groups (N = 40 per group): ADHD alone, ADHD with tic disorder and age- and sex- matched healthy control. The parents of 120 children (mean age 8.57 ± 1.71 years) completed the Junior Temperament and Character Inventory (JTCI). The two ADHD groups showed higher novelty seeking and low persistence, self-directedness and cooperativeness than the control group. The ADHD alone group had lower scores for persistence and self-directedness than the other two groups. Temperament and character profiles were useful for discriminating ADHD from the control group. However, their discriminating power was relatively low for all three groups. Results indicated that differences in temperament and character in ADHD children were present according to comorbid tic disorders. JTCI's discriminating power for ADHD alone and ADHD with tic disorder was relatively lower than that of the combined ADHD group and the control group.

Junior temperament character inventory together with quantitative EEG discriminate children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder combined subtype from children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder combined subtype plus oppositional defiant disorder

Oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) is frequently associated with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) but no clear neurophysiological evidence exists that distinguishes the two groups. Our aim was to identify biomarkers that distinguish children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder combined subtype (ADHD_C) from children with ADHD_C + ODD, by combining the results of quantitative EEG (qEEG) and the Junior Temperament Character Inventory (JTCI).28 ADHD_C and 22 ADHD_C + ODD children who met the DSMV criteria participated in the study. JTCI and EEG were analyzed. Stability based Biomarkers identification methodology was applied to the JTCI and the qEEG separately and combined. The qEEG was tested at the scalp and the sources levels. The classification power of the selected biomarkers was tested with a robust ROC technique. The best discriminant power was obtained when TCI and qEEG were analyzed together. Novelty seeking, self-directedness and cooperativeness were selected as biomarkers together with F4 and Cz in Delta; Fz and F4 in Theta and F7 and F8 in Beta, with a robust AUC of 0.95 for the ROC. At sources level: the regions were the right lateral and medial orbito-frontal cortex, cingular region, angular gyrus, right inferior occipital gyrus, occipital pole and the left insula in Theta, Alpha and Beta. The robust estimate of the total AUC was 0.91. These structures are part of extensive networks of novelty seeking, self-directedness and cooperativeness systems that seem dysregulated in these children. These methods represent an original approach to associate differences of personality and behavior to specific neuronal systems and subsystems.

The development of temperament and character during adolescence: The processes and phases of change.

We studied the pattern of personality development in a longitudinal population-based sample of 752 American adolescents. Personality was assessed reliably with the Junior Temperament and Character Inventory at 12, 14, and 16 years of age. The rank-order stability of Junior Temperament and Character Inventory traits from age 12 to 16 was moderate (r = .35). Hierarchical linear modeling of between-group variance due to gender and within-group variance due to age indicated that harm avoidance and persistence decreased whereas self-directedness and cooperativeness increased from age 12 to 16. Novelty seeking, reward dependence, and self-transcendence increased from age 12 to 14 and then decreased. This biphasic pattern suggests that prior to age 14 teens became more emancipated from adult authorities while identifying more with the emergent norms of their peers, and after age 14 their created identity was internalized. Girls were more self-directed and cooperative than boys and maintained this advantage from age 12 to 16. Dependability of temperament at age 16 was mainly predicted by the same traits at earlier ages. In contrast, maturity of character at age 16 was predicted by both temperament and character at earlier ages. We conclude that character develops rapidly in adolescence to self-regulate temperament in accord with personally valued goals shaped by peers.

The Junior Temperament and Character Inventory (JTCI): Psychometric properties of multi-informant ratings.

The aims of the study were (a) to establish norms for the Swedish child self-report and caregiver rating versions of the Junior and Temperament Character Inventory (JTCI) among young adolescents, (b) to investigate its psychometric properties, and (c) to investigate congruence between children's self-reports and caregivers' ratings of a child's personality. The sample was a general population of 1,046 children ages 12-14 years and 654 caregivers. The JTCI was found to be reliable on all dimensions except Persistence in the child self-report version. Caregivers rated their own children's personalities as more mature than did the children themselves. Caregivers especially overestimated their daughters' self-reported capabilities for self-acceptance and self-efficacy and might have underestimated their daughters' need for emotional support. This highlights the importance of including the child's self-report on personality in both research and clinical assessments. The results also support the importance of age- and gender-separated norms. (PsycINFO Database Record

Major and minor life events, personality and psychopathology in children with tourette syndrome

Environmental, psychological, and biological interactions underlie many psychopathologies. Tourette's Syndrome (TS) has an obvious biological substrate but environmental factors and personality play substantial roles in its expression. We aimed to study the interrelationships between stressful life events, personality traits, tics, and comorbid disorders in children with TS. To this end, 132 children with TS and 49 healthy controls were recruited for the study. Major life events in the 12-months prior to testing and minor life events in the month prior to testing were retrospectively assessed using the Life Experiences Survey (LES) and the Brief Adolescent Life Events Scale (BALES), respectively. Personality was assessed with the Junior Temperament and Character Inventory (JTCI). Tics, obsessive compulsive symptoms, attention deficit and hyperactivity symptoms, anxiety, depression and aggression were assessed by self-report questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. We found that major life events correlated with the severity of tics expression and complexity, and comorbid psychopathology. Minor life events correlated with more severe symptomatology. High levels of harm avoidance were related to more obsessions, anxiety, and depression whereas high levels of self-directedness were protective.To conclude, TS expression in childhood should be understood as the result of an interaction between biological, personality and environmental factors.

The protective effect of character maturity in child aggressive antisocial behavior

BackgroundChildhood aggressive antisocial behavior (CD) is one of the strongest predictors of mental health problems and criminal behavior in adulthood. The aims of this study were to describe personality profiles in children with CD, and to determine the strength of association between defined neurodevelopmental symptoms, dimensions of character maturity and CD. MethodsA sample of 1886 children with a close to equal distribution of age (9 or 12) and gender, enriched for neurodevelopmental and psychiatric problems were selected from the nationwide Child and Adolescent Twin Study in Sweden. Their parents rated them according to the Junior Temperament and Character Inventory following a telephone interview during which information about the children's development and mental health was assessed with the Autism-Tics, AD/HD and other Comorbidities inventory. ResultScores on the CD module significantly and positively correlated with scores on the Novelty Seeking temperament dimension and negatively with scores on character maturity (Self-Directedness and Cooperativeness). In the group of children with either neurodevelopmental or behavioral problems, the prevalence of low or very low character maturity was 50%, while when these two problems coexisted the prevalence of low or very low character maturity increased to 70%. Neurodevelopmental problems (such as: oppositional defiant disorder, symptoms of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder and autism spectrum disorder) and low scores on character maturity emerged as independently significant predictors of CD; in a multivariable model, only oppositional defiant symptoms and impulsivity significantly increased the risk for coexisting CD while a mature self-agency in a child (Self-Directedness) remained a significant protective factor. ConclusionThese results suggest that children's willpower, the capacity to achieve personally chosen goals may be an important protective factor – even in the presence of neurodevelopmental and psychiatric problems – against progressing into persistent negative outcomes, such as aggressive antisocial behaviors.

Temperament and character traits in female adolescents with nonsuicidal self-injury disorder with and without comorbid borderline personality disorder

BackgroundTemperament and character traits of adolescents with nonsuicidal self-injury disorder (NSSI) might differentiate those- with and without comorbid borderline personality disorder (BPD).MethodsParticipants were 57 female adolescents with NSSI disorder without BPD (NSSI − BPD), 14 adolescents with NSSI disorder and BPD (NSSI + BPD), 32 clinical controls (CC), and 64 nonclinical controls (NC). Temperament and character traits were assessed with the Junior Temperament and Character Inventory, and impulsivity with the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale and a Go/NoGo task.ResultsAdolescents with NSSI disorder scored significantly higher on novelty seeking and harm avoidance and lower on persistence, self-directedness, and cooperativeness than CC. The NSSI + BPD group scored even higher than the NSSI − BPD group on novelty seeking and harm avoidance and lower on persistence and cooperativeness (d ≥ 0.72). Adolescents with NSSI reported higher levels of impulsivity than the CC and NC group. However, this difference was not found in a Go/NoGo task.ConclusionsThe results provide further evidence for a distinct diagnostic entity of NSSI disorder.

Normative data and factorial structure of the Turkish version of the Junior Temperament and Character Inventory-Revised

ABSTRACTObjective: Junior Temperament and Character Inventory (J-TCI) was developed by Luby, Svrakic, McCallum, Przybeck, and Cloninger based on Cloninger’s biopsychosocial model to assess temperament and character dimensions in children and adolescents.Methods: The Turkish version of J-TCI-Revised (J-TCI-R) was administered to 1129 elementary and middle-school (male/female, 546/583) students. Internal consistency reliabilities were measured by Cronbach’s alpha; test–retest was assessed across one month.Results: Cronbach’s alphas for the subscales of J-TCI-R ranged from 0.60 to 0.75 for temperament and character subscales, which were comparable to US and other populations. The correlations between baseline and one month after administration of J-TCI-R were highly and statistically significant (r = 0.578–0.674 for scales and 0.366–0.582 for subscales) (n = 795). Factor analysis results using Eigenvalue greater than one rule indicated three out of four factors for temperament scales and one out of two facto...

Temperamental Characteristics of Withdrawn Behavior Problems in Children.

Withdrawn/depressed behavior (WD) as defined by the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) relates to various outcomes in developmental psychopathology such as depression, pervasive developmental disorders, and suicide. We sought to examine the temperamental characteristics of children who concurrently endorse symptoms of WD. Junior Temperament and Characteristic Inventory (JTCI) and CBCL data were collected from 397 children's parents in a family study in the northeastern United States. Linear mixed models were used to test the relations between WD and temperament dimensions (Novelty Seeking, Harm Avoidance, Reward Dependence, Persistence) on the JTCI, while controlling for age, sex, item overlap, and co-occurring aggression and attention problems. When controlling for definitional artifact and CBCL aggressive behavior and attention scores, high harm avoidance and low reward dependence were both significant predictors of childhood withdrawn behavior. This study marks the first characterization of a temperamental profile associated with WD in children and adolescents.

Diagnostic validity of behavioural and psychometric impulsivity measures: An assessment in adolescent and adult populations

This investigation examined how different psychological and behavioural measures can be used to identify impulsive individuals. Five clinical groups split, between adolescents and adults, with varying levels of weight-management issues, were used to validate the impulsivity measures. The measures consisted of two behavioural, an inhibitory control measure (Stop Signal Task) and a Temporal Discounting measure, along with two personality measures, the Temperament and Character Inventory (Cloninger, Przybeck, Svrakic, & Wetzel, 1994) and the adolescent version (The Junior Temperament and Character Inventory) and finally the Barrat Impulsivity Scale (Patton, Stanford, & Barratt, 1995). The most sensitive was the Stop Signal Reaction time, which depicted significant differences in inhibitory control for all but two groups (Adult Lifestyle and Adult Healthy). The psychometric scales were able to sufficiently discriminate between obese and impulsive individuals with healthier participants. The Self-Control and Novelty Seeking subscales on the BIS. The Novelty Seeking subscale of the TCI-R and the JTCI, significantly discriminated between obese and healthy individuals. There was a high degree of association amongst the measures used, identifying that these measures can be used to monitor and measure impulsiveness in obese individuals for use in weight-loss interventions.

학령기 아동에서 어머니-아동 기질 관계와 양육스트레스 연구

Objectives : The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships between mother's and child's temper and parenting stress. Methods : One hundred twenty healthy mothers (above 20 yrs old) who has a school-aged child (7-11 yrs old) participated after informed consent. The temperament of the children was analyzed by the Junior Temperament and Character Inventory 7-11 (JTCI 7-11) by their mothers. The temperament of the mothers was analyzed by the Temperament and Character Inventory-Revised Short (TCI-RS) and the mother's parenting stress was analyzed by the Korean Parenting Stress Index (K-PSI). The relationships between mothers' and child's temperament and parenting stress were assessed using the Pearson correlation coefficient and multiple regression test. Results : There were significant correlations between maternal temperaments and child's temperaments and maternal parenting stress. There was a positive correlation between mother's harm avoidance characteristic, child's novelty seeking degree and parenting stress. On the other hand, there was a negative correlation between child's persistence and parenting stress. In addition, interactions between child and mother temperament dimensions predicted higher levels of parenting stress. Parenting stress was higher in the group of high mother's harm avoidance with child's high novelty seeking and high mother's harm avoidance with low child's persistence. Conclusions : These results are showing that there are significant relationships between mother and child temperament and parenting stress in mothers with school-aged children.

The Relations Between Temperament, Character, and Executive Functions in Children With ADHD and Clinical Controls

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the overlap between executive functions and temperament as measured by two questionnaires and to examine characteristic profiles in children with ADHD and clinical controls. Method: Parents of 111 clinically referred children, half of whom were diagnosed with ADHD and half with other or no diagnoses, completed the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF) and the Cloninger Junior Temperament and Character Inventory (JTCI). Results: Factor analysis of both instruments resulted in three common factors representing aspects of (1) cognitive regulation, (2) behavioral regulation, and (3) anxious/rigid tendencies. Factor (4) represented strengths and positive resources and loaded on JTCI scales only. Both instruments discriminated significantly between ADHD and non-ADHD children. Conduct disorder/oppositional defiant disorder (CD/ODD) but not ADHD accounted for problems in BRIEF Emotional Control and Self-Monitor and JTCI low Cooperativeness. Conclusion: The two instruments only partially overlap and may complement each other.

소아의 기능성 위장관 질환과 기질 및 성격과의 관계

Abstract The Relationship Between Children's Temperament and Character to Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders Lee Eun Ju ․ Kim Hyung Joong ․ Lee Sun Haeng ․ Chang Gyu Tae Department of Pediatrics of Korean Medicine, Kyung Hee University Hospital at Gang-dong Pediatrics of Clinical Korean Medicine, College of Korean Medicine, Kyung Hee University Objectives The purpose of this study is to establish relationship between functional gastrointestinal disorders in children and Temperament and Character using objective criteria and questionnaires. Methods This study surveyed 3-6 years old 130 children who were attending the kindergarten or daycare center in the vicinity of Gangdong from May 15th, 2014 to November 30th, 2014. The Korean-translated Questionnaire on Pediatric Gastrointestinal Symptoms-Rome III (QPGS-Rome III) and The Junior Temperament and Character Inventory 3-6 (JTCI 3-6) questionnaires were used. Results 1. Between the groups, functional gastrointestinal disorder group scored significantly higher on NS, NS1, NS4, HA4, ST and ST1.2. As the number of functional gastrointestinal disorders increase, the group scored higher on NS, NS1, NS4, HA4, ST and ST1.