Normative data and factor structure of the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) in the French version

We explored the psychometric features of the French Temperament and Charact er Inventory (TCI) in a 603-subject community sample (263 men and 339 women ), representative of the French population. The factor structures of the te mperament and character dimensions, explored separately, were in agreement with the hypothesized constructs, except for the scales Novelty Seeking NSl (exploratory excitability), Persistence, and Self-Directedness SD4 (self-ac ceptance). The internal consistency of the main dimensions was good (Cronba ch alpha coefficients between 0.68 and 0.82), but weak for Persistence (0.4 9). The mean scores of the temperament dimensions were notably different fr om those published in other normative data - especially lower for Novelty S eeking (16.4 +/- 5.6) and higher for Harm Avoidance (16.1 +/- 7.2) when com pared with US data - suggesting cross-cultural differences in personality a ssessment, and the necessity to use specific normative values with each tra nslated instrument. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reser ved.