This study evaluated the concurrent and short-term predictive validity of the Tonic and Phasic Irritability Scale (TAPIS) in 213 parents of 5–6-year-old children (50% female), oversampled for high irritability, with a follow-up evaluation averaging 2.76 months later.
The TAPIS showed a robust two-factor structure (CFI = 0.92, TLI = 0.91, SRMR = 0.03) with excellent internal consistency (α = 0.95 tonic; 0.94 phasic). Prospectively, tonic irritability uniquely predicted affective, anxiety, depressive, ADHD, and oppositional symptoms plus higher negative affect, while phasic irritability uniquely predicted oppositional and conduct symptoms and lower effortful control.
- Sample was oversampled for high irritability, limiting generalizability to community or clinical populations. - Follow-up interval was highly variable (range: 0.07–21.28 months), which may obscure true predictive relationships. - All measures were parent-report only, introducing shared-method variance.
Clinicians assessing young children's irritability should distinguish tonic (persistently angry mood) from phasic (temper outbursts) dimensions, as they predict different psychopathology trajectories — tonic irritability flags internalizing and ADHD risk, while phasic irritability flags conduct and oppositional risk. The TAPIS offers a psychometrically sound tool to make this distinction in 5–6-year-olds.
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