Description

The Junior Eysenck Personality Questionnaire – Revised Abbreviated (JEPQR-A) is a standardized psychometric instrument designed to assess the fundamental dimensions of personality in children and adolescents according to Hans J. Eysenck’s biological theory of personality. The questionnaire represents a concise version of the Revised Junior Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (JEPQR) and provides a rapid yet reliable assessment of the core personality traits that influence children’s emotional functioning, social behavior, cognitive style, and psychological adjustment.

The instrument consists of 24 self-report items and evaluates the three principal personality dimensions proposed by Eysenck: Extraversion, Neuroticism, and Psychoticism. In addition, it incorporates a Lie Scale, which assesses the tendency of respondents to provide socially desirable responses rather than completely accurate self-descriptions. This additional dimension enhances the interpretability of the results by identifying potential response bias during questionnaire completion.

The JEPQR-A was specifically developed for use with school-aged children and adolescents, providing an age-appropriate assessment of stable personality characteristics that have been associated with academic performance, emotional well-being, interpersonal relationships, behavioral adjustment, resilience, and mental health. Owing to its brief administration time and straightforward response format, the questionnaire is particularly suitable for educational settings, developmental research, psychological screening, and clinical assessment.

The Junior Eysenck Personality Questionnaire – Revised Abbreviated (JEPQR-A) is widely applied in developmental psychology, educational psychology, clinical psychology, child and adolescent psychiatry, school counseling, behavioral sciences, personality research, and psychological assessment, where it serves as one of the most widely recognized instruments for evaluating personality during childhood and early adolescence.

Data Analysis and Use

Data obtained from the Junior Eysenck Personality Questionnaire – Revised Abbreviated (JEPQR-A) are analyzed using comprehensive psychometric and statistical procedures designed to evaluate children’s personality characteristics across the four questionnaire dimensions. Individual responses are scored dichotomously and aggregated to calculate separate scores for Extraversion, Neuroticism, Psychoticism, and the Lie Scale, allowing the construction of multidimensional personality profiles.

Psychometric evaluation typically includes analyses of internal consistency using Cronbach’s alpha coefficient, together with assessments of test–retest reliability, construct validity, content validity, criterion validity, convergent validity, discriminant validity, and exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses (EFA/CFA). Additional analyses frequently include composite reliability, item-response analyses, and measurement invariance across demographic groups to ensure stable psychometric performance in child and adolescent populations.

The questionnaire was standardized using a sample of 551 primary school students, including 269 girls and 282 boys, aged 9 to 12 years, attending the final three grades of elementary school. Validation studies demonstrated satisfactory convergent validity, with the Neuroticism scale showing a correlation of r = 0.49 with the corresponding scale of the Junior Eysenck Personality Inventory (JEPI). Internal consistency coefficients (Cronbach’s alpha) were reported as 0.27 for Extraversion, 0.60 for Neuroticism, 0.42 for Psychoticism, and 0.50 for the Lie Scale, while test–retest reliability coefficients were 0.42, 0.14, 0.70, and 0.56, respectively.

Statistical analyses commonly include descriptive statistics, Pearson or Spearman correlation analyses, multiple regression models, structural equation modeling (SEM), cluster analysis, latent profile analysis, and comparative procedures such as independent-samples t-tests and analysis of variance (ANOVA). These approaches enable researchers to investigate relationships between personality traits and variables including academic achievement, emotional adjustment, behavioral difficulties, social functioning, self-esteem, resilience, and psychological well-being.

Objective

The primary objective of the Junior Eysenck Personality Questionnaire – Revised Abbreviated (JEPQR-A) is to provide a reliable, valid, and efficient assessment of the principal dimensions of personality in children and adolescents according to Eysenck’s theoretical framework. The questionnaire enables psychologists, educators, school counselors, researchers, and child mental health professionals to evaluate stable personality characteristics associated with emotional regulation, behavioral functioning, interpersonal relationships, and psychological development.

The instrument supports both educational practice and scientific research by facilitating the identification of individual personality profiles, monitoring developmental differences, and investigating the relationship between personality and educational, emotional, social, and behavioral outcomes. Furthermore, it contributes to evidence-based psychological assessment and the planning of interventions that promote healthy psychological development and adaptive functioning during childhood and adolescence.

Scoring

The Junior Eysenck Personality Questionnaire – Revised Abbreviated (JEPQR-A) consists of 24 dichotomous items, with participants responding “Yes” or “No” to each statement. Standard scoring assigns 1 point to responses indicating the presence of the measured characteristic and 0 points to the alternative response. Reverse-scored items are coded in the opposite direction according to the questionnaire scoring key.

Separate scores are calculated for the Extraversion, Neuroticism, Psychoticism, and Lie scales by summing the corresponding item responses. Higher scores on Extraversion indicate greater sociability, activity, and outgoing behavior. Higher Neuroticism scores reflect increased emotional instability, anxiety, and vulnerability to psychological distress. Higher Psychoticism scores indicate stronger tendencies toward impulsivity, aggressiveness, and unconventional behavior, whereas higher scores on the Lie Scale suggest a greater tendency toward socially desirable responding and possible response bias.

Interpretation of questionnaire scores should always be supported by comprehensive psychometric evaluation, including analyses of Cronbach’s alpha coefficients, construct validity, criterion validity, exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, normative comparisons, and cross-cultural validation, ensuring accurate and reliable assessment across diverse child and adolescent populations.

References

Alexopoulos, D., & Domikopoulou, S. (in preparation). Psychometric Properties of the Revised Abbreviated Junior Eysenck Personality Questionnaire in Greek Children.

Francis, L. J. (1996). The Development of an Abbreviated Form of the Revised Junior Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (JEPQR-A) Among 13–15-Year-Olds. Personality and Individual Differences, 21(6), 835–844.

Eysenck, H. J., & Eysenck, S. B. G. (1975). Manual of the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire. Hodder & Stoughton.

Matthews, G., Deary, I. J., & Whiteman, M. C. (2009). Personality Traits (3rd ed.). Cambridge University Press.