The parent-report Affective Reactivity Index (ARI-P) is the most studied brief scale specifically developed to assess irritability, but relatively little is known about its performance in early childhood (i.e., ≤8 years). Support in such populations is particularly important given developmental shifts in what constitutes normative irritability across childhood. We examined the performance of the ARI-P in a diverse, treatment-seeking sample of children ages 3 to 8 years (N = 115; mean age = 5.56 years; 58.4% from ethnic/racial minority backgrounds). In this sample, confirmatory factor analysis supported the single-factor structure of the ARI-P previously identified with older youth. ARI-P scores showed large associations with another irritability index, as well as small-to-large associations with aggression, anxiety, depression, and attention problems, supporting the convergent and concurrent validity of the ARI-P when used with children in this younger age range. Findings support the ARI-P as a promising parent-report tool for assessing irritability in early childhood, particularly in clinical samples.

父母报告情感反应指数 (ARI-P) 是研究最多的专门用于评估易怒性的简短量表，但对其在儿童早期（即≤8 岁）的表现知之甚少。考虑到整个童年时期标准易怒的构成因素的发展变化，对此类人群的支持尤为重要。我们检查了 ARI-P 在 3 至 8 岁儿童（N= 115; 平均年龄 = 5.56 岁；58.4% 来自种族/少数族裔背景）。在这个样本中，验证性因素分析支持以前在老年青年中确定的 ARI-P 的单因素结构。ARI-P 评分显示与另一个易激惹指数有很大关联，以及与攻击性、焦虑、抑郁和注意力问题的小到大关联，支持 ARI-P 在用于这个年龄较小的儿童时的收敛和同时有效性年龄范围。研究结果支持 ARI-P 作为一种有前途的家长报告工具，用于评估儿童早期的易怒性，特别是在临床样本中。