FAMILY CONTEXTS, PARENTAL BEHAVIOR, AND PERSONALITY PROFILES OF CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS WITH PRADER-WILLI, FRAGILE-X, OR WILLIAMS-SYNDROME

The personality profiles for youths with Prader-Willi, fragile-X, or W illiams syndrome were compared to three matched groups attending regul ar schools. Using the California Child Q-Set (CCQ), both of the parent s of the 39 children with Prader-Willi syndrome, 32 boys with fragile- X syndrome, 28 children with Williams syndrome, and children in the co mparison groups provided independent personality descriptions in terms of the Big Five personality factors of Extraversion, Agreeableness, C onscientiousness, Emotional Stability, and Openness, along with Motor Activity and Irritability. Specific personality phenotypes for each of the three syndrome groups were found to be differentially related to parental behaviours (i.e. control and anger) and family contexts (i.e. experienced family stress, marital conflict, and parental consistency ).