Younger parents less able to control anger

TORONTO - Younger parents are less likely to be able to control anger than older parents, a new study says.

Drawing upon a national survey of more than 1,000 people aged 18 and older, Scott Schieman, sociology professor at the University of Toronto (UT), has come up with the new findings about the most common negative emotion - anger.

Younger people are angry more often because they are more likely to feel time pressure, economic hardship and interpersonal conflict at the workplace, according to the authors of the study. These are the three core stressers that elevate anger levels.

Feeling rushed for time is a major cause of anger. While that was true for all young people, the study also found that mothers tended to yell more at their babies than the fathers did.

Individuals who experience more financial strain tend to report higher levels of anger. This relationship is also much stronger among women and younger adults, the study found.

Schieman said not only younger people but less-educated individuals are also more likely to experience anger, according to an UT release.

Compared to people with fewer years of education, the well-educated are less likely to experience anger and, when they do, they are more likely to act proactively (trying to change the situation or talking it over).

These findings will be published in the International Handbook of Anger in January.