Temper Tantrums in Young Children: 1. Behavioral Composition

Abstract

Although tantrums are among the most common behavioral problems of young children and may predict future antisocial behavior, little is known about them. To develop a model of this important phenomenon of early childhood, behaviors reported in parental narratives of the tantrums of 335 children aged 18 to 60 months were encoded as present or absent in consecutive 30-second periods. Principal Component (PC) analysis identified Anger and Distress as major, independent emotional and behavioral tantrum constituents. Anger-related behaviors formed PCs at three levels of intensity. High-intensity anger decreased with age, and low-intensity anger increased. Distress, the fourth PC, consisted of whining, crying, and comfort-seeking. Coping Style, the fifth PC, had high but opposite loadings on dropping down and running away, possibly reflecting the tendency to either "submit" or "escape." Model validity was indicated by significant correlations of the PCs with tantrum variables that were, by design, not included in the PC analysis.

An Informant Report Behavior Diary for Measuring Temper Outbursts in an Intervention Setting

“…one hour or more), small changes in frequency and/or changes in duration or intensity may have dramatic implications for individuals and their families (Potegal & Davidson, 2003;Tunnicliffe et al, 2014). However, based on retrospective informant report, existing measures are limited in their sensitivity to ongoing, potentially subtle changes in the nature of temper outbursts.…”

“…Temper outburst component behaviors were identified for each individual based on such behaviors that have been previously reported in the literature (Oliver, Woodcock & Humphreys, 2009;Potegal & Davidson, 2003;Wakschlag et al, 2012) and a semi-structured interview with caregivers (see supplementary materials). Thus, individualised diary report cards were created for each participant which included lists of possible temper outburst component behaviors, antecedent events (triggers), and following events.…”

“…Temper outbursts (also referred to as tantrums or rages) can be defined as negative emotional episodes with concurrent expression of overt behaviors such as crying, hitting or kicking; and comprise heightened autonomic arousal (Potegal & Davidson, 2003). Outbursts show a characteristic normative trajectory in children, peaking in prevalence between 2 and 3 years, with frequency usually between once per month and once per day (Osterman & Bjorkqvist, 2010;Potegal & Davidson, 2003;Wakschlag et al, 2012).…”

“…Outbursts show a characteristic normative trajectory in children, peaking in prevalence between 2 and 3 years, with frequency usually between once per month and once per day (Osterman & Bjorkqvist, 2010;Potegal & Davidson, 2003;Wakschlag et al, 2012).…”

Sequence and priming in 15 month‐olds' reactions to brief arm restraint: evidence for a hierarchy of anger responses

“…It is a commonplace observation that some behaviors are linked to lower intensities of anger while others are more closely linked to higher intensities. In children's tantrums, e.g., stamping is associated with low anger, screaming, hitting and kicking with high anger [Potegal et al, 2003]. Young children are poor reporters of their own emotions, particularly anger [e.g., Levine et al, 1999].…”