Building a Definition of Irritability From Academic Definitions and Lay Descriptions

Abstract

The current work builds a definition of irritability from both academic definitions and lay perspectives. In Study 1, a quantitative content analysis of academic definitions resulted in eight main content categories (i.e., behaviour, emotion or affect, cognition, physiological, qualifiers, irritant, stability or endurance, and other). In Study 2, a community sample of 39 adults participated in qualitative interviews. A deductive thematic analysis resulted in two main themes. The first main theme dealt with how participants positioned irritability in relation to other negative states. The second dealt with how participants constructed irritability as both a loss of control and as an experience that should be controlled. The discussion integrates the findings of both studies and provides a concise, but comprehensive definition.

Hostility in cancer patients as an underexplored facet of distress

“…This could favor the overcoming of the existing definitions that typically fail to distinguish irritability from related constructs (i.e. anger, aggression, and hostility), which have in fact different emotional, affective, physiological, cognitive, and behavioral components 10 . A second limitation is that because of the cross‐sectional nature of our study, we cannot determine the way in which hostility change across time and the causes related to this possible change.…”

“…aggression) 9 . Hostility, which in everyday conversation is often used as a synonym for anger and aggression, is considered as a state of deep‐seated disposition and a form of emotionally charged aggressive behavior 10 . Although there are differences between these constructs, they are often used in an interchangeable and sometimes imprecise way.…”

The Brief Irritability Test (BITe)

“…Almost half of our sample (44%) self-reported at least one Axis I psychiatric disorder (major depression [ n = 10], bipolar disorder [ n = 4], schizophrenia [ n = 2], social anxiety disorder [ n = 2], attention deficit hyperactivity disorder [ n = 2], posttraumatic stress disorder [ n = 1]). A detailed description of the methods and results is presented elsewhere (Barata et al, 2012). Briefly, participants were asked to describe their recent experiences with irritability (thoughts, feelings, behaviors, physical sensations), and, more generally, what irritability means to them.…”

“…Participants tend to give less consistent responses to single questions over time, and this may be due to changes in the interpretation of individual questions over time, as well as fluctuating situational factors. Indeed, our qualitative research has revealed that the ways in which the lay public defines and understands the term irritability varies not only between individuals but also within individuals over time (Barata, Holtzman, & Cunningham, 2012).…”

“…Irritability scales are most often confounded with anger items (e.g., “When I get angry, I use bad language and swear,” “I get angry frequently”). This is problematic since, unlike anger, irritability often lacks a direct cause, is less intense, less disturbed, longer in duration, and is associated with greater efforts to control its experience and expression (Barata et al, 2012; Beedie, Terry, & Lane, 2005; DiGiuseppe & Tafrate, 2010). Second, state measures of irritability are often confounded with items that reflect general dispositions or traits (e.g., “Arguments are a major cause of stress in my relationships,” “When I am right, I am right”; Caprara et al, 1985; Craig et al, 2008).…”