Standardization and approbation of the Bulgarian version of the TEMPS-A for temperament evaluation. An example of “delinquent temperament” assessment

Abstract

The aim of this study was to approbate the Bulgarian version of the international instrument for evaluation of temperamental traits, TEMPS-A (Temperament Evaluation of the Memphis, Pisa, Paris, and San Diego –Autoquestionnaire), and to prove the need to include it in the instruments for research and diagnosis of personality. The study included 901 subjects, 540 of whom are healthy volunteers. One month after the initial test, 118 subjects from the control group were retested with a set of clinical tools to check the reliability of the instrument (temporal stability). The TEMPS-A scales showed high test–retest reliability and high internal consistency. The number of scales was verified and the construct validity of the Bulgarian version of TEMPS-A was confirmed. The results outline the limit for predictive scores on the axis normal–pathological values. The observed correlations did not prove a causal link between the measured variables but verified a statistically significant correlation between the TEMPS-A and Eysenck Personality Questionnaire results, which proved that the two instruments measure the same basic personality characteristics, namely the temperamental construct. The analysis verified the successful standardization and approbation of the Bulgarian version of TEMPS-A for Bulgaria. The comparative analysis of a group of 74 persons serving custodial sentence on the territory of Bulgaria and a control group (N = 74) showed statistically significant differences between the mean scores in the two groups on all TEMPS-A scales, except for hyperthymic temperament, suggesting that delinquent behaviour is connected with an individual's temperamental characteristics.

Keywords

• temperament
• temperamental traits
• temps-a
• autoquestionnaire