Irritability in Preschool Children: A Predictor of Adolescent Psychopathology

ABSTRACT

Objectives: Adolescents are vulnerable populations at risk for mental health disorders due to physical, social, and educational transitions and need to be assessed seriously, especially after the recent COVID-19 pandemic. We aim to understand and identify irritability at a preschool age as a predictor of developing psychopathology later in adolescence. Method(s) A literature search was conducted using relevant Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) keywords in PubMed, MEDLINE, and PubMed Central databases. We identified all relevant published articles from inception until March 31, 2021. Out of 99 studies applied, 19 studies were chosen for full-text review when inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied. After a full-text review, we included 6 relevant studies in our final qualitative synthesis review. Result(s) The results of the studies showed an association between preschool irritability and mental health outcomes later in life. A 2019 study showed that irritability in preschoolers predicted later diagnosis of mood and externalizing disorders when controlled for social adversity, maternal history of mood disorders, and externalizing diagnoses at baseline. Irritability early in childhood predicted mania later in life (OR = 1.99;95% CI, 1.19-3.37;p =.009), and the OR of later being diagnosed with depression was 3.11 (95% CI, 1.32-3.27;p =.002) for each point increase in irritability factor score. Results further indicated that high stable irritability in early childhood is a predictor of irritability at age 12 (r =.35;p <.001). A 2021 study reproduced the results showing that preschool irritability predicted internalizing and externalizing comorbidity (OR = 1.67;95% CI, 1.22-2.28;p =.001). Conclusion(s) The findings show that irritability in preschool children is a predictor of internalizing, externalizing, and other behaviors later in life. It indicates an association between preschool irritability and psychopathology later in adolescence. A large-scale well-structured randomized controlled trial is recommended to unearth the potential benefit of identifying irritability in early life. ADOL, IMD, PSC Copyright © 2022