A large multinational study of irritability in adolescents

Background: While irritability is associated with poor psychosocial functioning and high use of mental health services, research in this area has predominantly focused on the US and the UK, leaving a significant gap in our understanding of its presentation among adolescents globally. This study explores cross-national aspects of adolescent irritability using self-report data, examining gender differences and associations with mental health symptoms, bullying, life satisfaction, and socioeconomic status. Method: We utilized linear mixed-effects models to examine data from the Programme for International Student Assessment, analyzing a large sample (n = 56,324, 50.5% females) from nine countries: Bulgaria, Georgia, China, Ireland, Mexico, Panama, Serbia, Spain, and the United Arab Emirates. Adolescents' mean age was 15.81 years (SD: 0.29, range: 15.25–16.33). Results: Irritability showed little variation across countries, with ~30.3% to 44.9% reporting ‘rarely or never’, ~10% reported daily irritability, and over 30% reporting irritability weekly. Females reported higher irritability than males (b = −0.46). Positive correlations were found between irritability and symptoms of depression. Associations with life satisfaction and bullying varied by country, with negative links in China and the United Arab Emirates, and stronger bullying links in China and Bulgaria. No significant associations were found with socioeconomic status. Conclusions: We find consistency of adolescent irritability in nine large samples across diverse countries. Variations in the relationships between irritability, bullying, and life satisfaction underscore the influence of country-specific factors. These findings stress the importance of global mental health initiatives to address adolescent irritability effectively.