Validation of the French version of the EPQ-Junior

Abstract

The objective of the present paper was to validate a French version of the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire- Junior (EPQ-J), which, in accordance with the corresponding questionnaire for adults, was postulated to have a four-factor structure including Neuroticism, Extraversion, Psychoticism and a Lie Scale. We tested the factor structure and internal reliability of the French translation in a sample of 465 school children (mean age: 12 years) recruited from the general population. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed the original orthogonal four-factor structure to have an unsatisfactory fit. However, by removing the constraint of orthogonality, a satisfactory fit could be achieved. Internal reliability estimates were 0.84 for Neuroticism, 0.74 for both Extraversion and the Lie scale and 0.69 for Psychoticism. These results based on a sample of young adolescents provide evidence for the validity of the French translation and further support for the stability of the four major personality dimensions across the lifespan. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2007 APA, all rights reserved