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Abstract
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VioLit summary:
OBJECTIVE:
The intent of this article by Deffenbacher et al. was to examine and evaluate a treatment program combining cognitive, relaxation, and behavioral coping skills in the reduction of general anger among college students.
METHODOLOGY:
The authors employed a quasi-experimental design by randomly assigning 19 college students from two introductory psychology classes to experimental and control groups. These students were identified as those who scored in the upper quartile of their peers on the Trait Anger Scale (TAS; Spielberger, Jacobs, Russell, & Crane, 1983), indicated that they were experiencing a personal anger problem and requested to receive treatment. The measures used to assess both groups fell into three categories: 1) General or trait measures included an overall, self-reported level of anger, anger in a wide range of situations, and self-reported style of expressing or suppressing anger. 2) Person-specific anger included anger in situations that were unique to the individual such as an ongoing situation or a situation that occurred during the day. 3) State anger was also measured and included levels of physiological arousal and the coping strategies used when aroused. After the participants completed these instruments they were asked to visualize a provocation for one minute and then completed a questionnaire regarding their feelings in the provocation. This assessment occurred on a pretreatment, posttreatment and follow-up basis. After one year a follow-up survey was conducted through the mail.
The treatment conditions included cognitive-behavioral counseling through eight, weekly, 75-minute group sessions at the University Counseling Center. The counseling also included relaxation coping skills and participants practiced these skills during the group sessions. Potential pretreatment differences between groups were assessed by one-way MANOVAs.
FINDINGS/DISCUSSION:
The MANOVAs indicated a significant treatment effect for trait, but not for person-specific or state measures. Because some random pretreatment differences were noted, intervention effects were analyzed by covarying pretreatment scores against posttreatment and five-week scores. Multivariate trials and treatment x trials interactions were not significant for trait or state measures. However, significant multivariate treatment effects were found on trait, person-specific and state measures. Univariate ANCOVAs revealed that after counseling, students reported significantly less anger across numerous provocations, tendency to negatively express anger outwardly, anger-related physiological arousal, and trait anxiety. This analysis also revealed less state anger and verbal antagonism and more constructive coping than the control group participants. A one-way ANCOVA on the five-week scores indicated that counseled students had less intense daily anger than the control group participants. In sum, the combination of relaxation, cognitive, and behavioral coping skills training seemed generally effective.
AUTHORS' RECOMMENDATIONS:
The authors suggested that future studies evaluate the value of such a program as a secondary prevention intervention for students scoring high on general anger, as a remedial intervention for angry clients in counseling centers, and as a form of mandated intervention for students who are required to seek assistance because of their anger.
(CSPV Abstract - Copyright © 1992-2007 by the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence, Institute of Behavioral Science, Regents of the University of Colorado)
Language: en |