Dimensions of Anger Reactions (DAR-5): a useful screening tool for anger in the general population

Abstract

Background

Dimensions of Anger Reactions (DAR-5) is a brief 5-item instrument to assess experience of anger. We aimed to verify the DAR-5 as a screening instrument in the community.

Methods

A sample of 368 apparently healthy adults who attended an outpatient ambulatory facility self-reported on the DAR-5 scale, the Spielberger's State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory (STAXI), the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), and the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). Indicators of reliability and validity were calculated to demonstrate the performance of the DAR-5.

Results

According to the DAR-5, around half the respondents found themselves becoming angry with people or situations and reported persistent duration of anger. Antagonism towards others was the least frequently experienced anger (8.4%). The DAR-5 was found to be reliable and stable, showing a significant correlation with the BAI and PHQ-9 for both sexes. In confirmatory factor analysis, a one-dimensional structure of anger experience was demonstrated through salient fit statistics. A cut-off > 8 was the best threshold against STAXI for discriminating cases of anger, irrespective of sex.

Conclusions

The shortness of the DAR-5, along with its cost-effective applicability, qualifies this measuring tool as a useful instrument for inclusion in the routine assessment of anger reactions in the general population.

Key points

• This is the first time the validity of DAR-5 has been demonstrated in a developing country.

• The Portuguese version of DAR-5 has appropriate sensitivity and high specificity.

• The DAR-5 demonstrated to be a reliable and stable instrument, irrespective of sex.

Keywords:

• Anger
• psychometric instrument
• screening
• validation

Acknowledgments

We thank all staff and patients from the Health Promotion and Check-up Center from the Hospital Sírio Libanês.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s)..

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Hospital Sírio Libanês. No research grant was provided.