The assessment of infant temperament: A critique of the Carey Infant Temperament Questionnaire

A large group of infants from a longitudinal study of mother-infant interaction was assessed using the Carey Infant Temperament Questionnaire (ITQ) at 6 months of life. Temperament diagnoses of "easy," "intermediate low," "intermediate high," and "difficult" were derived from the ITQ dimension scores, and were related to a variety of maternal characteristics and attitudes measured at the infant's third postnatal month as well as to behaviors observed during feeding and play interactions at the infant's sixth postnatal month. The only significant relationships were between the ITQ diagnostic categories and maternal variables measured at 3 months. Maternal characteristics and attitudes were related more frequently to maternal behavior at 6 months than to infant behavior. It is concluded that, for this sample, the Carey ITQ is an assessment of maternal characteristics as well as of maternal perceptions of infant temperament. (C) 2002 Published by Elsevier Science Inc.