Assessment and intervention for adolescents with anger and aggression difficulties in school settings

Abstract

The development, implementation, and evaluation of anger management programs have proliferated over the past decade. The programs aim to moderate the intensity, frequency, and severity of anger expression, and facilitate alternative nonaggressive responses to conflict and frustration. Cognitive-behavioral theory highlights cognitive processes such as attributions, expectations, interpersonal beliefs, and problem solving as most influential in determining an individual's response to provocation and identifies anger arousal as a mediator of aggressive behavior. Based on this premise that youth exhibit aggressive behavior due to poor arousal management, social, and problem-solving skills, Feindler and colleagues have developed psychoeducational anger management programs to target these deficits and to teach prosocial, conflict resolution skills. This article will review the development of anger difficulties, suggest tools for screening and outcome assessment, describe the anger management intervention approach, and present an overview of the research supporting implementation in school and community settings. Finally, specific recommendations for implementation are provided. C 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.During adolescence, youths' physical aggression, relational aggression, and difficulty interacting with authority may lead to antisocial behavior patterns (Kazdin, 1992;Nock, Kazdin, Hiripi, & Kessler, 2006). This article will focus on physical aggression, or gross motor behavior (e.g., hitting, kicking, throwing things at others) and verbal aggression (e.g., cursing, threatening), and the emotional and cognitive precursors. Cognitive-behavioral theory states that an aversive stimulus triggers physiological arousal and distorted cognitive responses, which results in the affective experience of anger, and can precipitate aggressive behaviors in response to triggers (Feindler & Starr, 2005).Although anger is a common and natural emotion, or internal event, problems associated with the inappropriate expression of anger remain among the most serious concerns of parents, educators, and the mental health community. If left untreated, youth aggression seems stable over time, predicts social adjustment difficulties, and may lead to additional antisocial behaviors. Cognitive-behavioral theory highlights cognitive processes such as attributions, expectations, interpersonal beliefs, and problem solving as most influential in determining an individual's response to provocation and identifies anger arousal as a mediator of aggressive behavior. Intense and unmodulated anger can fuel cognitive distortions and result in impulsive and aggressive responses toward perceived provocations. These responses are often reinforced by short-term reductions in anger, immediate impact in the stimulus situation, and social consequences from peers. Cognitive-behavioral therapy, then, assists clients in regulating intense affective states and modifying cognitive distortions to promote more prosocial behaviors.The antecedents to the development of ...

Assessing and treating aggression and conduct problems in schools: Implications from the Coping Power program

“…For middle and high school students with CPs, Feindler and Ecton's (1994) adolescent anger control program is an exemplary cognitive‐behavioral intervention. As this program is reviewed elsewhere in this series, it will not be detailed here (Feindler & Engle, 2011). Other resources for school‐based intervention with preadolescent and adolescent students include Think First: Addressing Aggressive Behavior in Secondary Schools (Larson, 2005) and Aggression Replacement Training (Goldstein, Glick, & Gibbs, 1998).…”

An Examination of the Factorial Invariance and Refinement of the Multidimensional School Anger Inventory for Five Pacific Rim Countries

“…Another advantage is that the 12-item version identified in this study offers an efficient way for schoolbased mental health professionals to periodically assess anger. For example, Feindler andEngel (2011), Larson (2005), and Waterman and Walker (2009) suggested using the MSAI, in part, to evaluate outcomes when using their school-based anger management programs. In addition, the 12-item MSAI could be part of a low-cost, universal school wellbeing screening assessment when used in combination with other public-access instruments (after assessing them for appropriate use in cross-national research), such as the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (Essau et al, 2012), the Student Life Satisfaction Scale (Huebner, 1991(Huebner, , 1995, or the Positive and Negative Affect Scale (Laurent et al, 1999).…”

Bilişsel Davranışçı Terapi Yaklaşımının Film Analizi Yöntemiyle İncelenmesi

“…Although Will Hunting, the young leading man of the movie, is highly gifted especially in Mathematics, he has been sent into a detention center many times due to his aggressive behaviors and dropped out of the school. In this study "Good Will Hunting" movie had been chosen to form an example for some frequent behavioral problems such as aggression and bullying within society (De Rubeis & Granic, 2012;Feindler & Engel, 2011). It is also an important example for reflecting the relation between the psychological counselor and client.…”