Factors Associated with High Parent- and Youth-Rated Irritability Score in Early-Onset Mood Disorders: A Cross-Sectional Study with the Affective Reactivity Index (ARI)

Brain Sci. 2024 Jun 19;14(6):611. doi: 10.3390/brainsci14060611.

Abstract

Correct classification of irritability is extremely important to assess prognosis and treatment indications of juvenile mood disorders. We assessed factors associated with low versus high parent- and self-rated irritability using the affective reactivity index (ARI) in a sample of 289 adolescents diagnosed with a bipolar or a major depressive disorder. Bivariate analyses were followed by multilinear logistic regression model. Factors significantly and independently associated with high versus low parent-rated ARI score were: more severe emotional dysregulation and bipolar disorders diagnosis. Factors significantly and independently associated with high versus low self-rated ARI score were: lower children depression rating scale (CDRS-R) difficulty of having fun item score, greater children depression inventory (CDI-2) self-report score, more severe emotional dysregulation, and greater CDRS-R appetite disturbance item score. High parent-rated irritability was strictly related with a bipolar disorder diagnosis, whereas high youth-rated irritability was related to depressive phenotype characterized by appetite/food-intake dysregulation, mood lability, and less anhedonia and apathy.

Keywords: adolescent; affective reactivity index; bipolar disorder; children; cycling; irritability; major depression; mixed; mood dysregulation.

Grants and funding

This study was supported by a grant (grant GR-2018-12367476) from the Italian Ministry of Health (to G.S.), which had no involvement in the design, analysis, or reporting of the study. This work was also supported by the Italian Ministry of Health with Current Research funds.