Psychometric properties of the Hong Kong Chinese (Cantonese) TEMPS-A in medical students

BackgroundThe self-rated auto-questionnaire, the Temperament Scale of Memphis, Pisa, Paris and San Diego (TEMPS-A) is the latest development in the study of temperamental attributes. It has been used and validated in different cultures and countries. The current study aims at validating the Chinese (Cantonese) version of the TEMPS-A and comparing the psychometric properties of the long and short forms of the translated scale.MethodsThe Chinese (Cantonese) version of TEMPS-A was prepared with the standard translation and back-translation method, and approved by the original authors (HSA & KKA). It was administered to medical students of the two local universities, and results were analyzed.Results613 valid questionnaires were returned. The Cronbach-Alpha coefficients for the depressive, cyclothymic, hyperthymic, irritable and anxious temperament subscales were 0.63, 0.82, 0.78, 0.80, and 0.84, respectively. The strongest correlation was observed between the cyclothymic and irritable temperaments (R=0.600). Factor analysis yielded one large composite (depressive and anxious) and four homogenous factors, cyclothymic, anxious, hyperthymic and irritable. A newly reconstituted 43-item short form, based on methods suggested by the original authors yielded similar factor structure.LimitationsThe narrow age range of subjects somewhat limits generalization of the results. However, external and concurrent validations against other validated scales have been demonstrated for the original English versions as well as against the most commonly used languages of the world; furthermore, such validation has also been demonstrated for Chinese (Mandarin).ConclusionsThe Chinese (Cantonese) version of TEMPS-A and the reconstituted 43-item short form were found to have good internal consistency and factor structures comparable to those of other languages from diverse cultures across the planet. We propose that the Cantonese TEMPS-A is a useful tool for local use.