Factors that Predict Infant Temperament: A Jordanian Study

Publication Date

2019

Document Type

Article

Comments

Article is in press, accepted August 2019.

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of the study was to test the association between infant temperament and factors such as socioeconomic status, infant age, breastfeeding, and marital satisfaction.

Design and methods

A cross-sectional design was used to collect data from 278 Arabic speaking Jordanian women with infants in their first year of life from three health centers in Irbid, Jordan. The temperament of the infant was assessed using the Infant Characteristics Questionnaire (ICQ), a 20-item tool where the mothers were asked to provide a rating of infant behavior on a 5-point scale. Data were analyzed using SPSS 25.

Results

Descriptive statistics were used to summarize characteristics of the participants. Multiple regressions showed a significant model of factors that correlate to infant temperament (F = 2.930, p = .01); having assistance to care for the infant (B = 3.058, p = .019), marital satisfaction (B = −0.127, p = .049), and infant feeding method (B = 0.147, p = .016) were the only significant predictors for infant temperament.

Conclusion

Marital satisfaction, feeding method, and assistance in caring for the infant are factors that predict infant temperament. Moreover, some aspects of these factors are modifiable.

Practice Implications: Nurses should be aware of the factors that are associated with infant temperament so that they can teach the family, ‘teachers’ in daycare centers, and the public about potential moderators of infant temperament.

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