Citation

Wong TKY, Konishi C, Zhao K. Can. J. Behav. Sci. 2018; 50(1): 1-8.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018, Canadian Psychological Association, Publisher Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1037/cbs0000089

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Although adolescents often struggle to regulate their anger, few studies have examined anger regulation within the period of adolescence. In view of this, this study explored potential sex and age differences in anger experience, expressions, and control among Grades 8-12 adolescents (n = 766) in Western Canada. Anger regulation was evaluated by the State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory. Three separate multivariate analyses of variance and post hoc tests were performed.

RESULTS revealed that Grade 12 students experienced more anger than Grade 8 students. Furthermore, Grades 10-12 students engaged in greater levels of anger-expressive suppression compared with those in Grade 8; Grade 12 students also suppressed their anger more than Grade 9 students. Lastly, girls were less likely to control their outward anger as compared with boys. These results provide important implications for intervention efforts by suggesting nonlinear developmental patterns in anger experience and expressions as well as sex differences in anger control. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved)

Keywords

Adolescent Development; Age Differences; Anger; Anger Control; Emotional Regulation; Human Sex Differences