Factor Structure of the Early Adolescent Temperament Questionnaire and Measurement Invariance Across Gender

Abstract

Confirmatory factor analysis was applied in a test of alternative factor models and measurement invariance across gender groups using data from the Early Adolescent Temperament Questionnaire (EATQ). Mothers rated their 10- to 14-year-old children (116 girls and 115 boys) on the EATQ Shyness, High-Intensity Pleasure, Activity Level, Attention, Irritability, and Fear scales. A first-order six-correlated factor model best represented the structure of temperament. As expected, factor models based on composite indicators showed better overall model fit than did those based on single items. The measurement invariance of the first-order model across gender suggests that the EATQ measures the same aspects of temperament regardless of gender. A significant gender difference emerged at the latent mean level: Boys were rated high in high-intensity pleasure and activity level, and girls were rated high in attention.