Prevalence and Etiology: In a Non-referral Outpatient Setting

Of a total of 800 children (aged 3-12 years) attending a pediatric outpatient department, 182 (22.8%) were found to be having temper tantrums (mean age, 4.7 years). Temper tantrums were found to be most common at 3-5 years (75.3%), less common at 6-8 years (20.8%), and least common at 9-12 years (3.9%). Children aged 3-5 years were more likely to be of a lower social class (p < 0.01), whereas in other age groups (6-8 years and 9-12 years) children were more likely to be of an upper social class. Boys dominated the study significantly: the ratio of boys to girls was 3.1:1. Boys having temper tantrums were more likely to be of an upper social class (p < 0.001) compared with girls, who tended to be of a lower social class (p < .01). Children showed a higher incidence of history of postnatal trauma and seizure disorder compared with the control group (p < 0.05). Parental overprotection and marital discord were found to be stress factors in a significantly higher number of boys than girls (p < 0.01); parental negligence was a significant stress factor for girls (p < 0.01). Associated behavioral problems, such as thumb sucking, enuresis, tics, head banging, sleep disturbances, and hyperkinesis were found to be significantly higher among children with tantrums.