Ethnic and gender differences in temperament, and the relationship between temperament and Depressive and Aggressive mood

Temperamental differences and the relationship between temperament and Depressive and Aggressive mood were investigated in a sample of 423 9–13-year-old Dutch children from four different ethnic/national backgrounds. A temperament questionnaire was used, specifically constructed to ensure measurement equivalence across the Dutch, Turkish, Moroccan and mixed ethnic samples and across gender. We found temperament differences between the Dutch children and the other ethnic groups for Negative Affectivity and Effortful Control. Gender differences were found which were not influenced by ethnicity. Girls scored higher than boys on the Positive Affectivity scale. Temperament, especially the dimensions Negative Affectivity and Effortful Control, proved strongly predictive of both Depressive and Aggressive mood in all ethnic groups. Positive Affectivity contributed positively to Depressive mood and showed an interaction effect with Negative Affectivity. We discussed the consequences of our findings for the tripartite model of depression.