The distinction between irritability and anger and their associations with impulsivity and subjective wellbeing
Abstract Irritability, anger, and impulsivity have important associations with psychological well-being. However, studying the internal relationships between such emotional constructs is challenging, largely because of the lack of precise operational definitions and extensively validated measurement...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2023-06-01
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| Series: | Scientific Reports |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-37557-4 |
| _version_ | 1797789754555629568 |
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| author | Maria Gröndal Karl Ask Stefan Winblad |
| author_facet | Maria Gröndal Karl Ask Stefan Winblad |
| author_sort | Maria Gröndal |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Irritability, anger, and impulsivity have important associations with psychological well-being. However, studying the internal relationships between such emotional constructs is challenging, largely because of the lack of precise operational definitions and extensively validated measurement tools. The aim of this study was to examine relationships between the above emotional constructs and how they relate to satisfaction with life and perceived negative impact on different life domains. Participants (N = 471) completed a self-report questionnaire online. Correlational analyses showed that higher levels of irritability and trait anger were associated with lower life satisfaction. Impulsivity displayed complex relationships with life satisfaction, with some aspects (sensation seeking) showing a positive relationship and others (urgency, lack of perseverance) showing a negative relationship. A two-factor Confirmatory Factor Analysis treating irritability and anger as separate constructs showed a better fit compared with a one-factor model, indicating that irritability and anger should be treated as separate constructs. An exploratory moderation analysis showed that higher irritability predicted increased anger only for participants scoring average to high on urgency (a facet of impulsivity). Our findings increase the understanding of the relationship between these dispositional constructs and supports the conceptualization of irritability and anger as related but distinct constructs. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-13T01:55:10Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-2015fa2f76e34dd299431dfdc388abd1 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-13T01:55:10Z |
| publishDate | 2023-06-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj.art-2015fa2f76e34dd299431dfdc388abd12023-07-02T11:15:09ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222023-06-011311810.1038/s41598-023-37557-4The distinction between irritability and anger and their associations with impulsivity and subjective wellbeingMaria Gröndal0Karl Ask1Stefan Winblad2Department of Psychology, University of GothenburgDepartment of Psychology, University of GothenburgDepartment of Psychology, University of GothenburgAbstract Irritability, anger, and impulsivity have important associations with psychological well-being. However, studying the internal relationships between such emotional constructs is challenging, largely because of the lack of precise operational definitions and extensively validated measurement tools. The aim of this study was to examine relationships between the above emotional constructs and how they relate to satisfaction with life and perceived negative impact on different life domains. Participants (N = 471) completed a self-report questionnaire online. Correlational analyses showed that higher levels of irritability and trait anger were associated with lower life satisfaction. Impulsivity displayed complex relationships with life satisfaction, with some aspects (sensation seeking) showing a positive relationship and others (urgency, lack of perseverance) showing a negative relationship. A two-factor Confirmatory Factor Analysis treating irritability and anger as separate constructs showed a better fit compared with a one-factor model, indicating that irritability and anger should be treated as separate constructs. An exploratory moderation analysis showed that higher irritability predicted increased anger only for participants scoring average to high on urgency (a facet of impulsivity). Our findings increase the understanding of the relationship between these dispositional constructs and supports the conceptualization of irritability and anger as related but distinct constructs.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-37557-4 |
| spellingShingle | Maria Gröndal Karl Ask Stefan Winblad The distinction between irritability and anger and their associations with impulsivity and subjective wellbeing Scientific Reports |
| title | The distinction between irritability and anger and their associations with impulsivity and subjective wellbeing |
| title_full | The distinction between irritability and anger and their associations with impulsivity and subjective wellbeing |
| title_fullStr | The distinction between irritability and anger and their associations with impulsivity and subjective wellbeing |
| title_full_unstemmed | The distinction between irritability and anger and their associations with impulsivity and subjective wellbeing |
| title_short | The distinction between irritability and anger and their associations with impulsivity and subjective wellbeing |
| title_sort | distinction between irritability and anger and their associations with impulsivity and subjective wellbeing |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-37557-4 |
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