Psychometric evaluation of the 240-item Farsi temperament and character inventory-revised (TCI-R) in an Iranian community sample

Abstract This study evaluated the psychometric properties of the authorized full-length Farsi version of the Temperament and Character Inventory-Revised (TCI-R; 240 items) in a large non-clinical Iranian adult sample ( N = 1,316) drawn from 13 cultural-linguistic regions. Participants completed the TCI-R. A subsample ( n = 50) completed the NEO-PI-R, and another ( n = 80) completed the TCI-R again after eight weeks. We examined the factorial structure using principal axis factoring (PAF) with Promax rotation and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Additionally, we evaluated internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha and McDonald’s omega), construct reliability, convergent and discriminant validity, test-retest reliability, and measurement invariance across gender. Exploratory and confirmatory analyses supported the expected four-factor temperament and three-factor character structures, with acceptable though not uniformly strong fit for a complex multidimensional personality instrument. Internal consistency was acceptable to high at the dimension level, although several four-item subscales showed lower reliability. Test–retest correlations indicated strong short-term stability in the undergraduate retest subsample. Construct reliability was generally satisfactory, while AVE values were lower for Novelty Seeking and Cooperativeness, indicating weaker latent-level convergence for these two dimensions. Preliminary correlations with NEO-PI-R traits ( n = 50) supported external convergent validity and should be interpreted with caution. Self-Transcendence showed a differentiated relationship with Openness facets, overlapping most strongly with Feelings and more modestly with Aesthetics, Ideas, and Fantasy, whereas Values showed a small negative association. The intercorrelation between Harm Avoidance and Self-Directedness was somewhat stronger than typically reported in international validations. Measurement invariance analyses supported configural and metric invariance across gender, with partial scalar invariance adopted for both the temperament and character models after freeing one intercept (RD4) for temperament and five (SD3, SD5, CO2, ST2, ST3) for character. The Farsi TCI-R provides initial psychometric support for use in non-clinical Iranian community research, with caution regarding specific subscales, Novelty Seeking and Cooperativeness latent convergence, and gender-based mean comparisons. The differentiated Self-Transcendence–Openness facet pattern and relatively strong Harm Avoidance–Self-Directedness association, interpreted within Cloninger’s dynamic-systems framework, represent theoretically meaningful findings that warrant cross-cultural replication.