Understanding Phasic Irritability: Anger and Distress in Children's Temper Outbursts

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Psychophysiological Assessment of the Effectiveness of Emotion Regulation Strategies in Childhood
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Psychophysiological Assessment of the Effectiveness of Emotion Regulation Strategies in Childhood

Published on: February 11, 2017

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Emily Hirsch1, Kaley Davis2, Zihuan Cao2

  • 1Psychology Department, Fordham University, 441 East Fordham Road, Dealy Hall, Bronx, NY, 10458, USA. ehirsch4@fordham.edu.

Child Psychiatry and Human Development
|February 6, 2021
PubMed

Insights

This study validates an anger-distress model for pediatric temper outbursts (TO) in school-aged children. The model helps understand irritability and psychopathology, offering insights for future research.

Area of Science:

  • Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Behavioral Science

Background:

  • Pediatric irritability, particularly temper outbursts, significantly impairs children and is linked to adverse outcomes.
  • Understanding the underlying mechanisms of these outbursts is crucial for effective intervention.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To test the applicability of a previously established anger-distress model to school-aged children with clinically impairing temper outbursts (TO).
  • To examine the clinical relevance of the model's factors by assessing associations with psychopathology and comparing children with TO to those with ADHD and healthy controls.

Main Methods:

  • Factor analysis was used to identify underlying factors within the temper outbursts.
  • The study included an outpatient sample of children with temper outbursts (TO), children with ADHD, and healthy controls.
  • Associations between identified factors and measures of irritability, externalizing, and internalizing problems were analyzed.

Main Results:

  • Factor analysis supported a three-factor model: High Anger, Low Anger, and Distress.
  • These factors demonstrated unique associations with irritability, externalizing, and internalizing problems within the TO group.
  • A significant interaction was found between the participant groups and the outburst factors.

Conclusions:

  • The findings provide evidence for the presence and clinical utility of the anger-distress model in understanding children's outbursts.
  • The model offers valuable insights into pediatric irritability and suggests directions for future research in the field.

Keywords:
AngerDistressIrritabilityTemper outbursts

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