title: Association between irritability and bias in attention orienting to threat in children and adolescents.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Irritability, a frequent complaint in children with psychiatric disorders, reflects increased predisposition to anger. Preliminary work in pediatric clinical samples links irritability to attention bias to threat, and the current study examines this association in a large population-based sample.
  
  
  METHODS
  We studied 1,872 children (ages 6-14) using the Development and Well-Being Assessment (DAWBA), Childhood Behavior Checklist (CBCL), and dot-probe tasks. Irritability was defined using CBCL items that assessed temper tantrums and hot temper. The dot-probe task assessed attention biases for threat-related (angry face) stimuli. Multiple regression analysis was used to assess specificity of associations to irritability when adjusting for demographic variables and co-occurring psychiatric traits. Propensity score matching analysis was used to increase causal inference when matching for demographic variables and co-occurring psychiatric traits.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Irritability was associated with increased attention bias toward threat-related cues. Multiple regression analysis suggests associations between irritability and threat bias are independent from demographic variables, anxiety, and externalizing traits (attention-deficit/hyperactivity, conduct, and headstrong/hurtful), but not from broad internalizing symptoms. Propensity score matching analysis indicated that this association was found for irritable versus nonirritable groups matched on demographic and co-occurring traits including internalizing symptoms.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Irritability in children is associated with biased attention toward threatening information. This finding, if replicated, warrants further investigation to examine the extent to which it contributes to chronic irritability and to explore possible treatment implications.
authors: National Institute of Developmental Psychiatry for Children and Adolescents (INCT-CNPq), São Paulo, Brazil.|Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil.
authors: Giovanni A
authors: GA
authors: Salum
authors: Psychology, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK.
authors: Karin
authors: K
authors: Mogg
authors: Psychology, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK.
authors: Brendan P
authors: BP
authors: Bradley
authors: Institute of Psychiatry, London, UK.
authors: Argyris
authors: A
authors: Stringaris
authors: National Institute of Developmental Psychiatry for Children and Adolescents (INCT-CNPq), São Paulo, Brazil.|Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors: Ary
authors: A
authors: Gadelha
authors: National Institute of Developmental Psychiatry for Children and Adolescents (INCT-CNPq), São Paulo, Brazil.|Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors: Pedro M
authors: PM
authors: Pan
authors: National Institute of Developmental Psychiatry for Children and Adolescents (INCT-CNPq), São Paulo, Brazil.|Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors: Luis A
authors: LA
authors: Rohde
authors: National Institute of Developmental Psychiatry for Children and Adolescents (INCT-CNPq), São Paulo, Brazil.|Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors: Guilherme V
authors: GV
authors: Polanczyk
authors: National Institute of Developmental Psychiatry for Children and Adolescents (INCT-CNPq), São Paulo, Brazil.|Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil.
authors: Gisele G
authors: GG
authors: Manfro
authors: National Institute of Mental Health Intramural Research Program, Bethesda, MD, USA.
authors: Daniel S
authors: DS
authors: Pine
authors: National Institute of Mental Health Intramural Research Program, Bethesda, MD, USA.
authors: Ellen
authors: E
authors: Leibenluft
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D000070379:Attentional Bias / Q000502:physiology*; D002648:Child; D002652:Child Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D005239:Fear / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007508:Irritable Mood / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology*
keywords: Irritability; anger; attention; bias; cognition; emotion