Temperament Profiles Research Articles

Two-Hit Model of Behavioral Inhibition and Anxiety

Four decades of research have examined the antecedents and consequences of behavioral inhibition (BI), a temperament profile associated with heightened reactivity to sensory stimuli in infancy, reticence toward social cues in childhood, and the later emergence of social anxiety in adolescence. This review proposes that a two-hit model can supplement prior work to better understand these developmental pathways. Specifically, time limited experiences (“hits”) centered in infancy and adolescence stress idiosyncratic BI-linked processes that uniquely trigger the developmental pathway from temperament to disorder. To illustrate, we focus on caregiver distress in infancy (including fetal development), social reorientation in adolescence, and their impact on malleable attentional and cognitive systems. These are developmental challenges and processes that go to the heart of the BI phenotype. Finally, we note open questions in this conceptual model, potential caveats, and needed future research.

Three joint temperament-character configurations account for learning, personality and well-being: normative demographic findings in a representative national population.

A common practice in research and clinical practice is to use data considered representative of a target population to compare and understand the personality characteristics of specific groups or specific individuals. To this end, numerous studies have presented normative data for the temperament and character traits outlined in Cloninger's psychobiological model of personality. However, recent genomic evidence demonstrates that human personality is organized as a complex hierarchy that ascends beyond the individual traits to multi-trait profiles that regulate emotional reactivity (temperament profiles) or goals and values (character profiles), and then to three phenotypic networks, which integrate temperament profiles and character profiles, that regulate learning. Given this recent understanding, our aim was to provide a novel and more comprehensive description of personality features at a societal level (using a stratified sample representative of the Portuguese population) by considering personality at its higher levels of complexity. Toward this goal, a stratified sample of 2,443 Portuguese adults responded to the Revised Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI-R). We summarize the prevalence of (a) temperament profiles, (b) character profiles, and (c) integrated temperament-character networks within the whole sample, as well as for men vs. women and different age groups separately. Independent of age and education, women were more likely to be capable of resourceful productivity and helpful cooperation combined with being more intuitive, meditative and creative than men. Independent of age and gender, individuals with a degree were also more likely to present these biopsychosocial features. We also found that the organized character profile was most typical of adults in their 40s. Finally, the distribution of personality profiles across age differed as a function of gender: for men the oldest individuals had the most coherent personalities while high personality integration was most prevalent for women in their 30s. These results have strong implications for research and intervention. In particular, these results are relevant for understanding the epidemiology of interactions between personality, mental health and well-being, including their expressions in a national population as a function of demographic characteristics.

The Expression of Affective Temperaments in Cystic Fibrosis Patients: Psychopathological Associations and Possible Neurobiological Mechanisms.

The aim of this study was to investigate the association between Cystic Fibrosis (CF) and affective temperaments, considering the relevance of ionic balances in neural excitability, as a possible neurobiological basis for temperamental expression. A cross-sectional study involving 55 adult CF patients was conducted. Sociodemographic, clinical and therapeutic characteristics, temperamental and personality dispositions and depressive and anxiety symptoms were evaluated through standardized semi-structured and structured interviews. The majority of the enrolled CF patients were receiving Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator (CFTR) therapy (72.7%), and most of them had hyperthymic temperament predominance (29.1%). Different TEMPS-A (Temperament Evaluation of Memphis, Pisa, Paris, and San Diego Autoquestionnaire) dimensions were not associated with the type of CF phenotype-related mutation or with the use of CFTR-modulator therapy. However, a tendency towards irritability was noted in patients not undergoing CFTR modulator therapy (6.7 ± 4.72 vs. 4.7 ± 4.33; p = 0.13). In light of the limitations imposed by the cross-sectional nature of the study, a hyperthymic temperament was found to be protective against current or lifetime psychopathologic events, whereas the other temperaments were associated with positive psychopathological anamnesis. Based on the measurement of temperament profiles and the study of their associations with clinically relevant variables, we argue that subjecting CF patients to such a temperament assessment could prove beneficial in the transition towards integrated and personalized care.

Latent profile analysis of adolescent temperament: Relations to happiness and health in adulthood.

This study provides long-term evidence that profiles of temperament during adolescence are associated with happiness and health over two decades later. Data are based on the ongoing Fullerton Longitudinal Study, a community-based sample in the United States. At 14 and 16 years, adolescents (N = 111; 52% male, 90% Euro-American) and their mothers (N = 105) completed the Dimensions of Temperament Survey-Revised, a scale designed specifically to assess adolescents'temperament across a set of attributes. When adolescents reached age 38 years in 2017, they completed scales measuring comprehensive happiness and global health. Latent profile analysis (LPA), a person-centered approach, was conducted for adolescents'and for mothers'temperament ratings separately. Distinct two-profile solutions, labeled more regulated and less regulated, emerged for each informant. These were comparable in features across informants. Only the adolescents'self-rated profiles, controlling for sex and family SES, revealed a conceptually meaningful and statistically significant relation to the distal outcomes of health and happiness two decades later. Adolescents with temperament profiles characterized as more regulated, in contrast to less regulated, reported being happier and healthier upon entering middle adulthood. Implications for intervention are presented.

Temperament and longitudinal changes in physical activity – the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966 Study

BackgroundInsufficient physical activity is risk factor for morbidity and premature mortality. This population-based birth cohort study investigated the cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between self-reported temperament at age 31 and self-reported leisure-time moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) levels and changes thereof from the age of 31 to the age of 46 years.MethodsThe study population comprised 3,084 subjects (1,359 male and 1,725 female) from the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966. MVPA was self-reported at ages 31 and 46 years. Novelty seeking, harm avoidance, reward dependence, and persistence and their subscales were measured using Cloninger’s Temperament and Character Inventory at age 31. Four temperament clusters were used in the analyses: persistent, overactive, dependent, and passive. Logistic regression was used to evaluate the relationship between temperament and MVPA.ResultsThe persistent and overactive temperament profiles at age 31 were positively associated with higher MVPA levels both in young adulthood and in midlife, while the passive and dependent temperament profiles were associated with lower MVPA levels. The overactive temperament profile was associated with a decrease in MVPA levels from young adulthood to midlife among males.ConclusionA passive temperament profile characterized by high harm avoidance is associated with a higher risk of low MVPA level than other temperament profiles over the life cycle in females. The results suggest that temperament may play a role in determining the level and sustainability of MVPA. Individual targeting and intervention tailoring for promoting physical activity should consider temperament traits.

Central Sensitization and Chronic Pain Personality Profile: Is There New Evidence? A Case-Control Study.

Personality traits are relevant for pain perception in persistent pain disorders, although they have not been studied in depth in sensitized and nonsensitized patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA). To explain and compare the personality profile of patients with OA, with and without central sensitization (CS), and fibromyalgia (FM). Participants were selected at the Rheumatology Department in two major hospitals in Spain. Case-control study where the sample consists of 15 patients with OA and CS (OA-CS), 31 OA without CS (OA-noCS), 47 FM, and 22 controls. We used a rigorous and systematic process that ensured the sample strictly fulfilled all the inclusion/exclusion criteria, so the sample is very well delimited. Personality was assessed by the Temperament and Character Inventory of Cloninger. The percentile in harm-avoidance dimension for the FM group is higher compared to OA groups and controls. The most frequent temperamental profiles in patients are cautious, methodical, and explosive. Patients with FM are more likely to report larger scores in harm-avoidance, with an increase in logistic regression adjusted odds ratio (ORadj) between 4.2% and 70.2%. Harm-avoidance seems to be the most important dimension in personality patients with chronic pain, as previously found. We found no differences between OA groups and between sensitized groups, but there are differences between FM and OA-noCS, so harm-avoidance might be the key to describe personality in patients with CS rather than the presence of prolonged pain, as found in the literature before.

Dairy Cows’ Temperament and Milking Performance during the Adaptation to an Automatic Milking System

Adaptative responses of cows to an automatic milking system (AMS) could depend on their temperament, i.e., cows with certain temperament profiles could be able to cope more successfully with the AMS. The relationships between dairy cows' temperament, behaviour, and productive parameters during the changeover from a conventional milking system (CMS) to an AMS were investigated. Thirty-three multiparous cows were classified as 'calm' or 'reactive' based on each of the temperament tests conducted: race time, flight speed (FS), and flight distance, at 5, 25, and 45 days in milk at CMS, then the cows were moved from the CMS to the AMS. During the first five milkings in AMS, the number of steps and kicks during each milking were recorded. The daily milk yield was automatically recorded. The number of steps did not vary by temperament classification, but the number of kicks per milking was greater for calm (0.45 ± 0.14) than for reactive cows (0.05 ± 0.03) when they were classified by FS (p < 0.01). During the first seven days in the AMS, reactive cows for the FS test produced more milk than calm cows (36.5 ± 1.8 vs. 33.2 ± 1.6 L/day; p = 0.05). In conclusion, behavioural and productive parameters were influenced by cows´ temperament during the milking system changeover since the calm cows kicked more and produced less than the reactive ones.

The personality of newly graduated and employed nurses: Temperament and character profiles of Swedish nurses.

One of the challenges of the 21st century is the high turnover rate in the nursing profession due to burnout and mental illness. From a biopsychosocial perspective, an individual's personality is an important vulnerability-resilience factor that comprises four temperament traits (i.e., a person's emotional reactions) and three character traits (i.e., self-regulation systems). Indeed, different personality profiles are associated to different coping strategies and health outcomes. We investigated and mapped the temperament and character of Swedish newly graduated and employed nurses' in relation to the Swedish general population and an age-matched sub-sample. In this cross-sectional study, nurses self-reported their personality (Temperament and Character Inventory) at the beginning of their employment. The data collection was conducted at a hospital in the South of Sweden. A total of 118 newly graduated and employed nurses (Mage=25.95±5.58) and 1,564 individuals from the Swedish general population participated in the study. We calculated T-scores and percentiles for all seven personality dimensions using the Swedish norms (N=1,564). The profiles were calculated by combining high/low percentiles scores in three temperament dimensions (Novelty Seeking: N/n, Harm Avoidance: H/h, and Reward Dependence: R/r) and in the three character dimensions (Self-Directedness: S/s, Cooperativeness: C/c and Self-Transcendence: T/t). Regarding T-scores, the nurses reported moderately lower Novelty Seeking (> 0.5 SD), slightly higher Harm-Avoidance (about 0.5 SD), moderately higher Persistence (> 0.5 SD) and Reward Dependence (> 0.5 SD), and extremely lower Self-Directedness (> 1 SD). The prevalence of the most common temperament profiles among the nurses (Swedish general population in brackets) were: 39.80% [10.90%] Cautious (nHR), 21.20% [10.90] Reliable (nhR), and 15.30% [16.50%] Methodical (nHr). The prevalence of the most common character profiles among the nurses were: 31.40% [4.90%] Dependent (sCt), 25.40% [14.40%] Apathetic (sct), and 19.50% [8.80%] Moody (sCT). The analyses of the personality profiles showed that Low Novelty Seeking (79%), high Harm Avoidance (65%) high Reward Dependence (80%), low Self-Directedness (95%), and low Self-Transcendence (60%) were more prevalent among the newly graduated and employed nurses. This may partially explain newly graduated nurses' difficulties at work and high turnover rate. After all, a well-developed character is of special importance when working with patients with serious and terminal illness or under large global crises, such as the current pandemic. Hence, both education at universities and development at work need to be person-centered to reduce stress levels and promote positive self-regulation strategies.

Relations between bedtime parenting behaviors and temperament across 14 cultures.

The present study examined parental sleep-supporting practices during toddlerhood in relation to temperament across 14 cultures. We hypothesized that passive sleep-supporting techniques (e.g., talking, cuddling), but not active techniques (e.g., walking, doing an activity together), would be associated with less challenging temperament profiles: higher Surgency (SUR) and Effortful Control (EC) and lower Negative Emotionality (NE), with fine-grained dimensions exhibiting relationships consistent with their overarching factors (e.g., parallel passive sleep-supporting approach effects for dimensions of NE). Caregivers (N = 841) across 14 cultures (M = 61 families per site) reported toddler (between 17 and 40 months of age; 52% male) temperament and sleep-supporting activities. Utilizing linear multilevel regression models and group-mean centering procedures, we assessed the role of between- and within-cultural variance in sleep-supporting practices in relation to temperament. Both within-and between-culture differences in passive sleep-supporting techniques were associated with temperament attributes, (e.g., lower NE at the between-culture level; higher within-culture EC). For active techniques only within-culture effects were significant (e.g., demonstrating a positive association with NE). Adding sleep-supporting behaviors to the regression models accounted for significantly more between-culture temperament variance than child age and gender alone. Hypotheses were largely supported. Findings suggest parental sleep practices could be potential targets for interventions to mitigate risk posed by challenging temperament profiles (e.g., reducing active techniques that are associated with greater distress proneness and NE).

Influential children in middle childhood peer culture: Effects of temperament and community culture.

For children in middle childhood, the social world, particularly the behavior and attitudes of their school peers, has been shown to be an important factor in their educational and mental health outcomes. In the school environment, some children seem to influence the attitudes and behavior of their peers more than others. The behavior patterns of children, as reflected in temperamental traits, have been shown to drive peer perception in important ways and might play a role in identifying the individuals and social processes that operate in peer influence. It seems likely that temperamental traits will have different effects on school peers, dependent on characteristics of the school attended. Fourth and fifth grade children from four rural counties in the southeastern portion of the United States were studied. Temperamental characteristics were assessed based on teacher perception of six characteristics. Peer perceptions of the extent to which each child was perceived to influence others in five areas of school culture (e.g., academics, sports) was measured through a peer nomination procedure. Additional status-related perceptions and behaviors of participating children were also assessed by peer nominations. Teacher ratings of temperamental behaviors were submitted to latent profile analyses resulting in a seven-cluster model. Results indicated temperamental profiles were significantly and meaningfully associated with peer perceptions of influence as well as social status. Further, demographic differences between two groups of schools were found to moderate the effects that temperament profile had on peer influence.

3.91 Temperamental Dimensions of Pediatric OCD: Influence of ADHD and Tourette’s Disorder

3.91 Temperamental Dimensions of Pediatric OCD: Influence of ADHD and Tourette’s Disorder

Latent class analysis of behavior across dog breeds reveal underlying temperament profiles

Latent class analysis (LCA) is a type of modeling analysis approach that has been used to identify unobserved groups or subgroups within multivariate categorical data. LCA has been used for a wide array of psychological evaluations in humans, including the identification of depression subtypes or PTSD comorbidity patterns. However, it has never been used for the assessment of animal behavior. Our objective here is to identify behavioral profile-types of dogs using LCA. The LCA was performed on a C-BARQ behavioral questionnaire dataset from 57,454 participants representing over 350 pure breeds and mixed breed dogs. Two, three, and four class LCA models were developed using C-BARQ trait scores and environmental covariates. In our study, LCA is shown as an effective and flexible tool to classify behavioral assessments. By evaluating the traits that carry the strongest relevance, it was possible to define the basis of these grouping differences. Groupings can be ranked and used as levels for simplified comparisons of complex constructs, such as temperament, that could be further exploited in downstream applications such as genomic association analyses. We propose this approach will facilitate dissection of physiological and environmental factors associated with psychopathology in dogs, humans, and mammals in general.

유아기 기질의 종단적 프로파일과 학령 초기 학교 적응

This study identifies patterns of change in temperament among infants aged 2 to 4 years old, and investigates the relationships between such patterns and school adjustments in the first grade of elementary school. Five distinct latent classes for patterns of change in children’s temperament emerged through latent profile analysis using three-year data from the Panel Study on Korean Children (N = 1,869): a) inactive & shy child (13.5%), b) decreasing activity & mild child (44.0%), c) highly emotional & unsociable child (13.4%), d) decreasing emotionality & highly sociable child (14.7%), and e) emotional & sociable child (14.4%). Significant associations with the five profiles of temperament were found for both gender and birth order of the children. Only the inactive & shy child class had more girls than boys; 47.1% of the children in the highly emotional & unsociable child class were the second child, while all other classes had more first children. Each child in the inactive & shy child class had a higher level of adjustment to school life than those in the highly emotional & unsociable child and the decreasing emotionality & highly sociable child classes when the children were seven years old. As for academic achievement, children in the decreasing activity & mild child class, in the decreasing emotionality & highly sociable child, and in the emotional & sociable child class exhibited more adjustments than those in the highly emotional & unsociable child class. Among the sub-domains of school adjustment, peer adjustment and teacher adjustment for the first grade of elementary school did not have significant associations with longitudinal profiles of temperament. The findings indicate that temperament through early childhood predicts adjustment to school life and academic achievement at an early school age.

Differences in subjective well-being between individuals with distinct Joint Personality (temperament-character) networks in a Bulgarian sample.

BackgroundPersonality is the major predictor of people’s subjective well-being (i.e., positive affect, negative affect, and life satisfaction). Recent research in countries with high-income and strong self-transcendent values shows that well-being depends on multidimensional configurations of temperament and character traits (i.e., Joint Personality Networks) that regulate the way people learn to adapt their habits to be in accord with their goals and values, rather than individual traits. To evaluate the prevalence and the associations of different Joint Personality (temperament-character) Networks with well-being in a low-income country with weak self-transcendent values, we tested their association in Bulgarian adults, a population known to have strong secular-rationalist values but weak self-transcendent values.MethodThe sample consisted of 443 individuals from Bulgaria (68.70% females) with a mean age of 34 years (SD = 15.05). Participants self-reported personality (Temperament and Character Inventory), affect (Positive Affect Negative Affect Schedule), and life satisfaction (Satisfaction with Life Scale). The personality scores were used for profiling through latent profile analysis and latent class analysis based on temperament configurations (i.e., Temperament Profiles) of high/low scores of Novelty Seeking (N/n), Harm Avoidance (H/h), Reward Dependence (R/r), and Persistence (P/s); and character configurations (i.e., Character Profiles) of high/low scores of Self-Directedness (S/s), Cooperativeness (C/c), and Self-Transcendence (T/t).ResultsWe found two Temperament Profiles and two Character Profiles that clustered into two distinctive Joint Personality Networks. All individuals in Joint Personality Network 1 had a Reliable (nhRP) Temperament Profile in combination with an Organized (SCt) Character Profile (i.e., a stable temperament and a healthy character configuration). About 71.9% in Joint Personality Network 2 had an Apathetic (sct) Character Profile in combination with Methodical (nHrp) or Reliable (nhRP) Temperament Profiles, while 28.1% had a Methodical (nHrp) Temperament Profile in combination with an Organized (SCt) Character Profile. Few people with high self-expressive values (i.e., high in all three character traits; SCT) were found. Individuals with a Joint Personality Network 1 with strong secular-rationalist values reported higher levels of positive affect and life satisfaction (p < .001), while individuals with a Joint Personality Network 2 reported higher levels of negative affect (p < .001).ConclusionsAlthough a stable temperament and a healthy character were separately important for well-being, it was clear that it was the interaction between such temperament and character configuration that yielded greater levels of subjective well-being. Nevertheless, future research needs to investigate this interaction further to evaluate other cultures with variable configurations of personality traits and values.

Patients with vitiligo have a distinct affective temperament profile: A cross-sectional study using Temperament Evaluation of Memphis, Paris, and San Diego Auto-Questionnaire.

Vitiligo is a skin disease associated with significant psychiatric comorbidities. Affective temperaments represent the inherited foundation of personality and represent the biologically stable part of emotional reactivity. Studies assessing the temperament profile of patients with vitiligo are still scarce. This was a cross-sectional study enrolling 34 patients with vitiligo and 34 age and sex-matched healthy controls. Affective temperament profile was investigated using the Temperament Evaluation of Memphis, Paris, and San Diego Auto-questionnaire. Dermatology life quality index was used to evaluate disease impact on patients' quality of life. We found significant differences with vitiligo patients scoring higher in anxious (11.5±4.76 vs. 9.06±6.22; p=0.036) and lower in hyperthymic (5.79±3.82 vs. 7.5±3.64; p=0.027) temperaments. Vitiligo worsening reported by patients was associated with recent psychological stressors in 18 cases (52.9%) and Koebner phenomenon in 20 cases (58.8%). Koebner phenomenon was more frequently associated with the hyperthymic temperament (p=0.035). Cyclothymic temperament was positively correlated with Dermatology life quality index (rho=0.417, p=0.014). This study demonstrated that patients with vitiligo have a distinct premorbid temperament profile. Having low hyperthymic and high anxious temperament traits seem to predispose patients to be less resilient to psychological stressors. A better understanding of the affective traits of vitiligo patients would be vital in personalising and adapting the management of this chronic skin disease.

Are fearful boys at higher risk for anxiety? Person-centered profiles of toddler fearful behavior predict anxious behaviors at age 6.

Dysregulated fear (DF), the presence of fearful behaviors in both low-threat and high-threat contexts, is associated with child anxiety symptoms during early childhood (e.g., Buss et al., 2013). However, not all children with DF go on to develop an anxiety disorder (Buss and McDoniel, 2016). This study leveraged the data from two longitudinal cohorts (N = 261) to (1) use person-centered methods to identify profiles of fearful temperament, (2) replicate the findings linking DF to anxiety behaviors in kindergarten, (3) test if child sex moderates associations between DF and anxiety behaviors, and (4) examine the consistency of findings across multiple informants of child anxiety behaviors. We identified a normative fear profile (low fear in low-threat contexts; high fear in high-threat contexts), a low fear profile (low fear across both low- and high-threat contexts) and a DF profile (high fear across both low- and high-threat contexts). Results showed that probability of DF profile membership was significantly associated with child self-reported overanxiousness, but not with parent-reported overanxiousness. Associations between DF profile membership and overanxiousness was moderated by child sex such that these associations were significant for boys only. Additionally, results showed that probability of DF profile membership was associated with both parent-reported social withdrawal and observations of social reticence, but there were no significant associations with child self-report of social withdrawal. Results highlight the importance of considering person-centered profiles of fearful temperament across different emotion-eliciting contexts, and the importance of using multiple informants to understand associations with temperamental risk for child anxiety.

Temperament and Offending Behaviors in Male Adolescents.

The aim of the current paper was to examine temperament profiles and temperament dimensions as risk factors for persistent criminal behavior in juveniles who offended (JOs). A sample of 137 male adolescents from a Swiss detention center and 137 age and sex matched community controls were included in the present study. Temperament was measured with the Junior Temperament and Character Inventory (JTCI). Using Latent Profile Analysis (LPA), three temperament profiles were found, a "moderate," an "adventurous-disinhibited" (higher levels of novelty seeking, lower levels of harm avoidance, reward dependence, and persistence), and a "worried-passive" profile (higher levels of harm avoidance, low persistence). None of the profiles and dimensions were associated with detention sample (i.e., JO) status. In JOs, the "novelty seeking" scale predicted recidivism after release from detention even when controlling for other covariates. Further research should address temperament profiles and temperament dimensions in larger samples of JOs to elaborate their relation to previous and future offending behavior.

Different degrees, similar personalities: A four-year comparison of dentistry and medicine students

Introduction: The Doctor of Medicine (MD) and the Bachelor of Dental Science Honours (BDSc) degrees are challenging, with similar prerequisites regarding the scope of prior knowledge and academic performance. Studies have previously explored personality traits of students within each degree, but few have compared traits between the MD and BDSc cohorts. Methods: Successive first-year cohorts of MD and BDSc students (2015 to 2018) completed a survey including demographic questions and the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI). Generalised estimating equations comparedTCI traits of students in the programs. Results: MD students comprised a higher proportion of students who were male, older and married/partnered compared to BDSc students. Profiles of temperament and character were similar. After adjusting for sex, age and marital status, the mean scores of harm avoidance were higher, and persistence, self-directedness and cooperativeness significantly lower inBDSc compared to MD students. Conclusions: Students pursuing medicine and dentistry demonstrate some differences in trait scores, however they are not meaningfully different when interpreting their profiles. Both groups have similar personalities, indicative of coping with their challenging degrees. A supportive learning environment is paramount to that coping success.

Time Management, Quality of Life, and Work-Life Balance Based on Temperament of Workers

Background: Temperament plays an important role in adapting to different environments. The purpose of this study is to investigate the differences between temperament clusters, time management behavior, quality of life, and work-life balance.Methods: A total of 216 participants (male=56, female=160, mean age: 31.92 years) completed questionnaires measuring temperament, time management behavior, quality of life, and work-life balance.Results: Data from the study shows that temperamental profiles are classified into three groups. The profile of “Adaptive Solver” was associated with the most beneficial traits, and that of “Chronic Worrier” was associated with the most disadvantageous traits.Conclusions: The findings of this study confirm that temperaments are related to psychological adjustment. This study provides an implication for considering individual differences in the intervention for psychological adaptation of workers.

The Dark Figure of Delinquency:New Evidence and Its Underlying Psychopathology

Although research on the dark figure of delinquency has produced valuable quantitative estimates of its size, prior research is mechanistic and atheoretical about the conceptual underpinnings of the crimes that go undetected by the juvenile justice system. Drawing on data from 253 adjudicated youth in residential placements in the Midwestern United States, the current study found that youth self-reported over 25 delinquent offenses for every one police contact. The dark figure of delinquency has a wide distribution with some youth reporting upwards of 290 delinquent offenses per police contact or arrest. Youth who exhibited more psychopathic features, who displayed temperamental profiles characterized by low effortful control and high negative emotionality, males, and those who were older had larger dark figures of delinquency. Findings provide support for general criminological theories that invoke psychopathy or temperament as important individual-level drivers of delinquent conduct, much of which never results in juvenile justice system intervention and thus never achieves legal resolution.