Personality differences according to age and sex in a Mexican sample using the Temperament and Character Inventory-Revised

Objectives: The objectives of the study were to compare personality features according to age and sex cohorts in a community sample of Mexico City using the Temperament and Character Inventory-Revised (TCI-R) and to examine the TCI-R psychometric properties according to age and sex parameters.

Method: A total of 2076 adults filled out the Spanish version of TCI-R.

Results: Younger subjects exhibited higher novelty seeking. Self-directedness and cooperativeness scores increased with age. Harm avoidance and self-transcendence were lower in younger adults when compared with older subjects. Women scored higher than men in harm avoidance and reward dependence. Men between 26 and 45 years old reported higher novelty seeking. Women older than 25 years scored higher in self-transcendence, and those older than 45 years exhibited higher cooperativeness scores. The identified TCI-R structure corresponded to the original one. Internal consistency of the higher-order dimensions was good in all age cohorts, in men and women, and in the total sample (αs >.80).

Conclusion: Our results give further support to personality specific dominant features in men and women. Differences in age cohorts may be explained by maturity and personal experiences acquired during life. The TCI-R psychometric properties and score distributions by age and sex cohorts may be useful for future studies with clinical samples and for cross-cultural comparison purposes.