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Offspring irritability: associations with parental psychopathology and personality

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Abstract

Although there are well-established correlates and outcomes of irritability, there are fewer studies reporting on predictors of the longitudinal course of irritability in youth. The current report examined parent internalizing and externalizing psychopathology and dimensions of personality as predictors of the developmental course of irritability in youth. Offspring irritability was assessed between ages 2 and 10 years using the Irritability Factor from the parent-reported Child Behavior Checklist (N = 570, 53.51% female). Parental psychopathology was assessed with a clinical interview; parents also completed the General Temperament Survey as a measure of personality. Results demonstrated that offspring irritability decreased with age. Offspring irritability was associated with parental depressive and anxiety disorders, higher levels of negative emotionality/neuroticism (NE) and disinhibition, and lower levels of positive emotionality; parental NE and disinhibition remained unique predictors of offspring irritability in a multivariate model. Finally, parental externalizing disorders were associated with more stable trajectories of offspring irritability, whereas offspring of parents without a history of externalizing disorders showed decreasing irritability across time. Findings demonstrate that different aspects of parental personality and psychopathology have differential impacts on levels and course of offspring irritability.

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Funding

This work was supported by National Institute of Mental Health Grants R01 MH66023 (Dr. Klein), R01 MH40501, R01 MH50522, R01 MH52858, and R01 DA012951 (Dr. Lewinsohn), and R01 MH107495 (Dr. Olino). We thank Peter M. Lewinsohn for his long-term support of the Oregon Adolescent Depression Project.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, 20742, USA

    Leah K. Sorcher, Mackenzie Robeson & Lea R. Dougherty

  2. Department of Psychology, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, 19122, USA

    Rebekah J. Mennies & Thomas M. Olino

  3. Department of Special Education and Clinical Sciences, University of Oregon, Eugene, USA

    John R. Seeley

  4. Department of Psychology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, USA

    Daniel N. Klein

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  1. Leah K. Sorcher
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  2. Rebekah J. Mennies
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  3. Mackenzie Robeson
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  4. John R. Seeley
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  6. Lea R. Dougherty
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  7. Thomas M. Olino
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Correspondence to Lea R. Dougherty or Thomas M. Olino.

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Sorcher, L.K., Mennies, R.J., Robeson, M. et al. Offspring irritability: associations with parental psychopathology and personality. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry 32, 1691–1699 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-022-01985-w

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-022-01985-w

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