Aggression and Irritability in Middle Childhood: Between- and Within-Person Associations

ABSTRACT

Objective

This study tested predicted bidirectional associations between irritability and physical and relational forms of aggression, disentangling theorized within- and between-person effects using latent curve models with structured residuals (LCM-SR) over one year in middle childhood. Gender differences and robustness of results when controlling for other externalizing problems (i.e., attention problems, delinquency) were also considered.

Method

Children in third, fourth, and fifth grade (N = 704, 49.9% female) were recruited from schools in a large midwestern city. The sample was diverse in regard to race/ethnicity (31% Black, 29% White, 13% Hmong, 14% Latinx, 4% Native American, 4% Asian, 5% other races/ethnicities). Irritability, attention problems, and delinquency were measured using teacher-report, and physical and relational aggression were measured using self-report at three time points over one calendar year.

Results

At the between-person level, higher mean levels of irritability predicted higher initial levels of physical and relational aggression. Irritability continued to predict higher levels of physical aggression across the course of the study, whereas the effect of irritability on relational aggression diminished. Boys showed higher starting levels of physical aggression, but no other significant gender differences emerged. No significant within-person associations were found.

Conclusions

The present study suggests that irritability may represent a between-person risk factor for high levels of physical and relational aggression in middle childhood, although effects on physical aggression may be more persistent. This highlights the importance of considering affective processes to understand the development of aggression trajectories.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Supplementary data

Supplemental material for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/15374416.2023.2272941.

Notes

¹ Upon reviewer request, we also ran bivariate models controlling for internalizing problems measured by the Internalizing Problems scale of the TRF at T1 which was internally consistent in prior work with this dataset (Murray-Close et al., 2007) along with the other conceptual covariates. The general pattern of effects did not change.

Additional information

Funding

Preparation of this manuscript was supported by a grant from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development to the first author (F31HD110066). The original project from which this secondary analysis was conducted was funded by a grant from the National Institute of Mental Health (MH63684) to the late Dr. Nicki R. Crick. We recognize Dr. Crick for her contributions to this project. We also thank the School Buddies Project team for assistance with the collection of these data and thank the principals, teachers, parents, and children for their participation. Finally, we thank Dr. Craig Colder and Nolan Ramer for statistical consultation and Aria Wiseblatt for feedback on the manuscript.