Positive and Negative Affectivity in Children: A Multitrait-Multimethod Investigation

Abstract

Examined the validity of the tripartite model of anxiety and depression and its internal structure in children. Measures of positive affect/surgency (PA/S) and negative affect/neuroticism (NA/N) and self-report and peer nominations of symptoms of depression and anxiety were completed by 104 children (mean age = 14.9 years, SD = 1.9). Parents completed measures of temperament and anxious and depressive symptoms. Multitrait-multimethod and confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) supported a 3-factor model that included separate Child and Parent NA/N factors and a joint PA/S factor. Child and Parent NA/N were related to symptoms of both depression and anxiety, but neither parent nor peer symptom ratings related to Child NA/N. PA/S was primarily related to symptoms of depression. These results support aspects of the tripartite model in children and suggest caution in the use of multimethod assessment of children's temperament and internalizing symptoms.

Negative Affectivity, Effortful Control, and Attention to Threat-Relevant Stimuli

“…Although authors of some studies have suggested that it is the overlap between selfand others-ratings that provides a more valid index of these characteristics of children (e.g., Cole et al 1997;Rowe and Kandel 1997), we believe that the evidence does not support this assertion. Specifically, in an earlier study in which youth-and parent-report temperament and symptoms were investigated, Phillips et al (2002) found little overlap between youth-and parent-report of children's and adolescent's NA. Additionally, parents' reports of their children's NAwere not correlated with their children's reports of anxiety.…”

The Role of Temperament in the Etiology of Child Psychopathology

“…Briefly, negative affectivity is similar to the BIS, positive affectivity is akin to the BAS, whereas physiological hyperarousal shows clear overlap with the fight/flight system. There is increasing support for the applicability of the tripartite theory to child populations (Chorpita, Daleiden, Moffitt, Yim, & Umemoto, 2000;Laurent et al, 1999), and this evidence converges on the notion that negative affectivity corresponds with neuroticism, whereas positive affectivity matches with extraversion (Phillips, Lonigan, Driscoll, & Hooe, 2002).…”

Affective Determinants of Anxiety and Depression Development in Children and Adolescents: An Individual Growth Curve Analysis

“…More specifically, the age distribution was as follows: 18.9, 19.7, 16.8, 16, 11.3, 11.8 and 5.5% for age 8,9,10,11,12,13, and 14 respectively. From this total sample, 75.7% (n = 184) participated in wave 2 and 24.3% (n = 59) did not participate in wave 2.…”