A cross-sectional study of onset, cessation, frequency, and duration of children's temper tantrums in a nonclinical sample.
Temper tantrums among young children were investigated with the questionnaire Parents' Experiences of Temper Tantrums in Children. Parents of 132 children (101 mothers, 31 fathers) in a largely Swedish-speaking area of Finland completed the questionnaire. 87% of the parents reported that one or more of their children had had temper tantrums. Of all children in the study, 64.7% began having tantrums when they were 2 or 3 years old; 57.1% did not have tantrums anymore after age five. For 46.5% of the cases, the tantrums lasted between 5 and 10 minutes. There was no sex difference for age of onset of tantrums, age when tantrums ceased, age span during which they occurred, frequency, or duration of episodes.
Abo Akademi University, Vasa, P.O.B. 311, 65101 Finland. karin.osterman@abo.fi
Karin
K
Osterman
Kaj
K
Björkqvist
D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D017668:Age of Onset; D000374:Aggression / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D002652:Child Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007389:Internal-External Control; D007508:Irritable Mood; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010290:Parents; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013694:Temperament; D013997:Time Factors