THE SEMISTRUCTURED AFFECTIVE TEMPERAMENT INTERVIEW (TEMPS-I) - RELIABILITY AND PSYCHOMETRIC PROPERTIES IN 1010 14-26-YEAR-OLD STUDENTS

Background: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the reliability and psychometric properties of the Semistructured Affective Temperamen t Interview, and determine cut-offs for each temperament. Method: 1010 Italian students aged between 14 and 26 were evaluated by means of th e Akiskal and Mallya criteria in a Semistructured Interview for depres sive, cyclothymic, hyperthymic, and irritable temperaments. Results: T his instrument has very good reliability and internal consistency. The percentage of subjects with a z-score higher than the second positive standard deviation (+2 SD) on the scales of depressive and cyclothymi c temperaments are 3.6% and 6.3% (reaching scores of 7/7 and 9/10), re spectively. Hyperthymic traits, on the other hand, are widespread in o ur sample: most subjects are included within the second positive stand ard deviation (+2 SD), and 8.2% of these reach a 7/7 score; therefore, the problem of defining a cut-off for this temperament is still open. By contrast, the irritable temperament is rare, conforming to a non-g aussian distribution, with 2.2% of cases above the second positive sta ndard deviation (+2 SD). Limitation: The data are based on subject rep ort without collateral information and external validation. Conclusion : This study contributes to more accurate definition of cut-offs for i ndividual temperament scales. The standardization of the interview thu s makes it possible to compare three out of four temperamental scales, showing the dominant temperamental characteristics for each subject. Prospective studies are needed to demonstrate the stability of these t raits over time. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V.