Eisbach, Cluxton-Keller, Harrison, & Krall, (2014) in their study “Characteristics of Temper Tantrums in Preschoolers with Disruptive Behavior in a Clinical Setting” focused on naturally occurring temper tantrums for preschoolers with severe behavioral problems. In the study, they observed the preschoolers and rated the intensity of the tantrum and the frequency of occurrence for tantrum precipitants, 16 behaviors, and interventions. From this, the study established that aggressive behaviors have a higher likelihood to occur early in tantrums while distress behaviors manifest later.
In regard to pediatric primary health care, it is worth noting that it is focused on health supervision, anticipatory guidance, psychosocial growth, and development among others for children and adolescents (American Academy of Pediatrics, 2011) . In line with this, the study outlined above contributes to pediatric primary health care as it offers foundational knowledge that can be used in anticipatory guidance and monitoring psychosocial growth and development. That is, getting to know the type of behavior to expect in a tantrum can aid in understanding the behavior and the tantrum and also inform the formulation of a suitable intervention.
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This is especially important because tantrums and meltdowns are the most common concerns for parents. More to that, it is difficult to understand, avert and respond to them when they are happening. However, it is important for them to be quelled to not traverse past the age they are expected because they can result in adverse effects in the future for the child (Miller, n.d.) . Most of the times, they are caused by the inability of a child to cope with strong emotions especially anger and anxiety which can result in irritability. It is this irritability that largely acts as the trigger for aggressive tantrums and substantial impairment (Carlson, Danzig, Dougherty, Bufferd, & Klein, 2016) . Therefore, in line with anticipatory guidance principle, this presents a case for getting to understand and regulate stimulus that results in anger and anxiety and by extension irritability which can be important in teaching parents and caregivers how to understand, prevent and respond to tantrums.
References
American Academy of Pediatrics. (2011). Reaffirmed Policy Statement—Pediatric Primary Health Care. Pediatrics, 127 (2), 397. doi:10.1542/peds.2010-3416
Carlson, G. A., Danzig, A. P., Dougherty, L. R., Bufferd, S. J., & Klein, D. N. (2016). Loss of Temper and Irritability: The Relationship to Tantrums in a Community and Clinical Sample. Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology, 26 (2), 114-122. doi:10.1089/cap.2015.0072
Eisbach, S. S., Cluxton-Keller, F., Harrison, J., & Krall, J. R. (2014). Characteristics of TEMPER TANTRUMS in Preschoolers with Disruptive Behavior in a Clinical Setting. Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Service, 52 (5), 1-9. doi:10.3928/02793695-20140110-02
Miller, C. (n.d.). Why Do Kids Have Tantrums and Meltdowns? Retrieved from Child Mind Institute: https://childmind.org/article/why-do-kids-have-tantrums-and-meltdowns/
