Category: Assessment
Emily Hirsch, M.A.
Fordham University
New York, New York
Amy Roy, PhD
Professor of Psychology
Fordham University
Bronx, New York
Melissa A Brotman, Ph.D.
Principal Investigator
National Institute of Mental Health
Bethesda, Maryland
Emily Hirsch, M.A.
Fordham University
New York, New York
Jamilah Silver, B.S., M.A.
Stony Brook University
Ridgewood, New York
Reut Naim, Ph.D.
Post-doctoral Researcher Fellow
National Institute of Mental Health
Bethesda, Maryland
Wan-Ling Tseng, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Yale Child Study Center, School of Medicine, Yale University
New Haven, Connecticut
Irritability, characterized by temper outbursts and angry mood, is one of the most common reasons that youth and their caregivers seek psychiatric care (Evans et al., 2022). The extant literature has established irritability as a transdiagnostic phenomenon that is associated with numerous psychiatric disorders in childhood and predictive of psychopathology and impairment in adulthood (Klein et al., 2021). As a result of its prevalence and association with adverse outcomes, an increasing number of researchers have been investigating this construct. However, evidence-based measures to assess irritability are limited, most only capture specific aspects of irritability, and many do not provide reliable information across the irritability severity spectrum (Dougherty et al., 2021). These limitations restrict our ability to gain a nuanced understanding of irritability, including its course, clinical correlates, and impact. Importantly, clinicians require evidence-based measures to properly assess irritability and related outcomes in their patients. Thus, this symposium highlights novel approaches to the measurement of pediatric irritability.
The first presentation will focus on the importance of characterizing irritability along a spectrum of severity within a developmental framework. Presenters will discuss findings using the Multidimensional Assessment Profile of Disruptive Behavior Temper Loss Scale for early school-age children (MAP-DB-TL-ESA) demonstrating the need for developmental specificity when assessing irritability. For the second presentation, investigators will present a new measure that aims to independently evaluate the tonic (angry mood) and phasic (temper outbursts) components of pediatric irritability. The third presentation will focus on the use of Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA), which allows researchers to assess irritability symptoms in real time and overcomes limitations of retrospective reports. Presenters will discuss how they used EMA to assess emotional lability in children and adolescents with a primary diagnosis of Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder, which is characterized by severe irritability. Finally, for the fourth presentation, investigators will present initial psychometric support for the Family Accommodation Scale—Irritability (FASI), highlighting the need to better understand how pediatric irritability impacts and is impacted by the behaviors of family members. All presenters will discuss limitations of their studies, avenues for future research, and implications for diverse populations. The symposium’s discussant will integrate findings from the presentations within the context of current research and theory as well as clinical practice.
Presenter: Emily Hirsch, M.A. – Fordham University
Co-author: Tasmia Alam, BA – San Diego State University
Co-author: Katherine Bevans, PhD – Janssen Global Services LLC
Co-author: Amy Roy, PhD – Fordham University
Co-author: Jillian L. Wiggins, PhD – San Diego State University
Co-author: Lauren S. Wakschlag, PhD – Northwestern University
Presenter: Jamilah Silver, B.S., M.A. – Stony Brook University
Co-author: Daniel Klein, Ph.D. – Stony Brook University
Presenter: Reut Naim, Ph.D. – National Institute of Mental Health
Co-author: Reut Naim, Ph.D. – National Institute of Mental Health
Co-author: Shannon Shaughnessy, PhD – National Institute of Mental Health
Co-author: Ashley Smith, PhD – NIMH
Co-author: Sarah Lyn Karalunas, PhD – Purdue University
Co-author: Katharina Kircanski, PhD – NIMH
Co-author: Melissa A Brotman, Ph.D. – National Institute of Mental Health
Presenter: Wan-Ling Tseng, Ph.D. – Yale Child Study Center, School of Medicine, Yale University
Co-author: Claire Whiting, BA – Yale Child Study Center
Co-author: Jennifer Meigs, PhD – National Institute of Mental Health
Co-author: Wendy Silverman, PhD – Yale Child Study Center, School of Medicine, Yale University
Co-author: Eli Lebowitz, PhD – Yale Child Study Center, School of Medicine, Yale University
Co-author: Melissa A Brotman, Ph.D. – National Institute of Mental Health