Social Skills Training (SST) for anger reduction addresses skill deficiencies and dysfunctional expressional styles. The intervention aims to impact four dimensions: 1) anger and anger expression, 2) emotional variables not directly involving anger, 3) deviant behavior, and 4) alcohol use. In an experimental evaluation, participants were randomly assigned to an SST intervention group, a cognitive-relaxation coping skills (CRCS) intervention group, or a no treatment group. Impacts were assessed directly after treatment. Compared with the no treatment group, adolescents in both interventions reported reduction in trait, general, and personal-situational anger, as well as unhealthy anger expression, and one measure of anxiety. SST did not have an impact on trait anxiety, shyness, depression, general deviance, or school deviance, but CRCS did have impacts on these outcomes.

DESCRIPTION OF PROGRAM

Target population: high-anger adolescents

Social Skills Training (SST) for anger reduction addresses skill deficiencies and dysfunctional expressional styles. In the first two program sessions, students develop a list of major provocations and list as many ways as possible to handle the situation angrily, then list as many ways as possible to handle it calmly and more effectively. The first half of each subsequent session addresses one of these provocations and identifies effective methods of addressing it. The second half of each session is spent rehearsing appropriate behaviors through imagination or role-play. At the end of the intervention, behavioral strategies identified over the course of the intervention are abstracted into a hand out of general strategies.

The intervention aims to impact four dimensions: 1) anger and anger expression, 2) emotional variables not directly involving anger, 3) deviant behavior, and 4) alcohol use.

EVALUATION(S) OF PROGRAM

Deffenbaucher, J. L., Lynch, R. S., Oetting, E. R., & Kemper, C. C. (1996). Anger reduction in early adolescents. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 43, 149-157.

Evaluated population: Of the 120 students participating in the study, 52 percent were boys and 48 percent were girls. Caucasian students were predominant, representing 78 percent of the sample. Students of Latino/Hispanic origin represented 19 percent of the sample, and Asian American and American Indian students represented two percent and one percent, respectively. In total, there were 19 sixth graders, 38 seventh graders and 63 eighth graders.

Approach: Over a period of three years, a total of 694 sixth through eighth grade students completed baseline anger screenings. Those scoring in the upper quartile (n=178) were recruited for participation. Of the potential students, 126 were randomly assigned, and 120 participated in the intervention for the full three-year span.

Double-blind pre-treatment assessment batteries, which assessed anger and anger expression, deviant behavior, and alcohol use, were administered by counselors and teachers. Other variables indirectly related to anger, such as depression, anxiety, shyness, and self-esteem were also assessed.

Following assessment, students were randomly assigned to the cognitive-relaxation coping skills (CRCS) treatment condition, social skills training (SST) treatment condition, or an untreated control condition. Thirty-nine students were assigned to the CRCS condition, and 40 students were assigned to the SST condition. The remaining 41 were assigned to the no-treatment condition. Both treatment groups met for nine 45-minute sessions, and were led by highly educated professionals who had experience with cognitive-behavioral intervention techniques.

Results: On all anger measures, both CRCS and SST intervention students differed significantly from the control group; but they did not differ significantly from each other. Compared with students in the untreated control group, students in both treatment groups reported less trait and general anger, less anger in their most angering situations, and less outward negative expression of anger, and greater anger control. Unlike CRCS intervention students, SST intervention students did not report significantly less general deviance, less trait anxiety, shyness, or depression than the control group. No statistically significant differences were found on self-esteem or alcohol consumption.

SOURCES FOR MORE INFORMATION

References

Deffenbaucher, J. L., Lynch, R. S., Oetting, E. R., & Kemper, C. C. (1996). Anger reduction in early adolescents. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 43, 149-157.

KEYWORDS: Adolescents (12-17); Middle School; School-based; Social Skills; Skills Training; Males and Females (co-ed); Mental Health; Anxiety Disorders/Symptoms; White/Caucasian; Other Social/Emotional Health; Behavioral Problems; Delinquency; Self-esteem; Alcohol Use

Program information last updated 4/5/11