Anger, hostility, and depression were examined across four groups: a clinical sample of domestically violent men, two samples of more generally assaultive men, and a nonviolent control group. All subjects (JV = 129) were assessed using the Buss-Durkee Hostility Inventory, the Hostility and Direction of Hostility Questionnaire, and the Beck Depression Inventory. The domestically violent men and the generally assaultive men evidenced significantly higher levels of anger and hostility than the control subjects. The anger and hostility scores were very similar in the domestically violent and the generally assaultive men. However, the domestically violent men were more likely to be significantly depressed. The findings support the idea that anger dyscontrol is a key issue in the psychological profile of domestically violent men and indicate the need for clinical attention to depression as well as anger.

A brief, six-item measure was developed for the rapid screening and identification of anger and aggression levels in violence-prone men. Four studies were conducted to examine the reliability and validity of the measure using a clinical data base of 401 men. Analyses indicated a satisfactory degree of internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and a significant relationship between the brief measure and Buss-Durkee Hostility Inventory total scores. Significantly higher scores were observed for three types of assault samples, including a group of domestic batterers, a group of generally assaultive men, and a mixed assault group, when compared to nonviolent controls. A cutting score for violent versus nonviolent group classification was determined via discriminant analysis. Significant differences observed at post-test between an anger management treatment group and waiting-list control subjects further illustrated the measure's sensitivity to changes in psychological status and provided additional support for its clinical validity and utility.

Two types of assertiveness, the ability to refuse a demand or request and the ability to initiate a request or affirmatively express a need, were examined in a clinical sample of domestically violent men (N = 78) in contrast to a nonviolent comparison group (N = 29). No significant difference was found between the groups on refusal behavior. However, a significant difference was found on initiating/request behavior, the violent men evidencing lower scores than their nonviolent counterparts. Significant differences in anger and hostility were also apparent between groups. There was a significant and positive correlation between refusal behavior and overt anger/hostility. A significant and negative correlation was observed between initiating/request behavior and covert anger/hostility. The results support the presence of social skill deficits, which appear to be significantly related to anger and hostility in domestically violent men. The findings also suggest that domestically violent men have a more specific profile of assertiveness deficits than has been previously discussed in the literature.

SYNOPSIS A self‐help approach for the control of migraine headaches was evaluated. Self‐help refers to a self‐directed effort, without therapist contact aimed at reducing the symptoms of migraine. The experimental plan involved giving migraine headache patients one of two experimental books and then evaluating the effect. Subjects were recruited through newspaper announcements and were required to have had at least two vascular headaches per month. During the first six weeks of the study, the baseline period, all subjects recorded headache frequency, intensity and duration. Subjects were then matched for headache frequency and then randomly assigned to receive either the treatment or control book. The treatment book contained instructions for thermal biofeedback, relaxation and cognitive behavior therapy. A liquid crystal device for measuring fingertip temperature was also included. Instructions in the treatment book were written such that a self‐help, no‐therapist treatment could be followed by the subject. The control book was a popularly available paperback in which a series of case studies on headache treatment and diagnosis were discussed. It was selected because it was easy to read and contained information about headaches but did not necessarily direct the reader to start a self‐help program. Data was obtained for 51 subjects who completed a three‐ and six‐month followup data collection period (treatment N = 22, control N = 29). There was a 62% decrease in headache frequency at six months for subjects who received the treatment book and a 14% drop for those who received the control book. Corresponding findings were also obtained for duration and pain levels of the headache as well as for prescribed medication use. Although the results indicated that this type of self‐help treatment could be effective for many migraine patients, limitations and cautions in interpretation of these results were discussed.

The purpose of this investigation was to determine whether headache activity information collected over the phone can be directly compared with headache activity information collected by systematic self-observation without jeopardizing internal validity because of calibration differences between the two measurement methods. A number of headache studies have relied on phone information for long-term follow-up data, while using systematic self-observation to collect all other data. Twenty-six headache sufferers participating in a tension headache study reported their headache activity over the phone and subsequently charted their headaches. Correlations were computed between the two measures. Results indicated that differences exist in the calibration of the two measurement methods. This seriously limits the conclusions of studies that used phone information to obtain follow-up data. Other recommendations concerning follow-up methodologies are discussed.