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. 2022 Sep 29:13:939603.
doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.939603. eCollection 2022.

Examination of the importance of anger/irritability and limited prosocial emotion/callous-unemotional traits to understand externalizing symptoms and adjustment problems in adolescence: A 10-year longitudinal study

Sébastien Urben  1 , Stéphanie Habersaat  2 , Julie Palix  3 , Jörg M Fegert  4 , Klaus Schmeck  2 , David Bürgin  2   4 , Süheyla Seker  2 , Cyril Boonmann  2   5 , Marc Schmid  2
Affiliations

Examination of the importance of anger/irritability and limited prosocial emotion/callous-unemotional traits to understand externalizing symptoms and adjustment problems in adolescence: A 10-year longitudinal study

Sébastien Urben et al. Front Psychiatry. .

Erratum in

Abstract

Objective: Within a longitudinal study (10-year follow-up), we aim to examine the role of anger/irritability and limited prosocial emotion/callous-unemotional traits in predicting externalizing symptoms and adjustment problems in individuals formerly in youth residential care institutions.

Method: These dimensions were assessed in 203 young adults, with baseline assessments during youth residential care and a follow-up 10 years later.

Results: In general, emotional problems and psychopathological symptoms did not reduce over time. Analyses of regression revealed that a younger age at baseline, anger/irritability both at baseline assessment, and regarding their aggravation over time refer to significant predictors of the level of externalizing symptoms at 10-year follow-up (R 2 = 0.431) and the worsening of externalizing symptoms over time (R 2 = 0.638). Anger/irritability has been observed to be a significant predictors of both the level of adjustment problems at 10-year follow-up (R 2 = 0.471) and its worsening over time (R 2 = 0.656).

Discussion: Our results suggest that dysregulation of anger/irritability is a key factor in the prediction of long-term externalizing symptoms and adjustment problems as well as its worsening over time. Possible implications for intervention and prevention are discussed.

Keywords: adjustment problems; adolescents; emotions; longitudinal design; self-regulation (SC 23180); young adults.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

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