The present study was designed to assess the efficacy of anger management training with aggressive, adult male offenders. The research design included two active treatment conditions and two delayed treatment control conditions. Treatment consisted of cognitive (Anger Control Training) and behavioral components (Structured Learning Therapy). The order of these components was balanced so that the therapeutic effectiveness of each component could be determined, as well as the complete program. Treatment was provided in a traditional correctional centre and in a specialized treatment centre. The program was conducted over a five week period and consisted of a total of 23 therapy sessions, each of which were three hours in length. Thirty-seven adult, male offenders confined in a medium security prison volunteered to participate in the study. All participants were assessed prior to treatment, following the first component of the program, following the second component of the program, and two months following termination of the program. The results of this study demonstrated that anger control training and structured learning therapy are both effective treatment modalities for incarcerated adult male offenders with severe anger and aggressive behavioral problems. Subjects in all four active treatment conditions displayed the following changes. They self-reported less anger to a variety of provocations common to the prison setting. They self-reported decreases in the frequency, intensity, and duration of anger, more appropriate modalities of expression, and fewer consequences of anger reactions. Objective behavioral ratings of their verbal responses to laboratory role-played provocations indicated their responses were more appropriate, as were their self-reported reactions to these provocations. In addition, subjects demonstrated more prosocial attitudes following completion of the program. The overall findings from the followup measures provide strong support for the extended maintenance of treatment benefits. Subjects continued to demonstrate lower levels of anger arousal on cognitive indices of anger. There were no differences in treatment effectiveness between the two institutions on the majority of dependent measures. Overall, the order of presentation of the therapeutic components (Anger Control Training and Structured Learning Therapy) had no distinguishable effects. Thus, all treatment groups benefitted equally from the program. However, the results do indicate that the major therapeutic gains occurred during the first phase of treatment, regardless of the treatment component received. Comparisons conducted on the disciplinary offense yielded inconsistent findings. Although, no strong statement about treatment efficacy can be made from the misconduct data, exposure to the first phase of the program may have had practical value for some of the participants.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:uottawa.ca/oai:ruor.uottawa.ca:10393/5780 |
| Date | January 1990 |
| Creators | Kennedy, Sharon Marian. |
| Contributors | Wormith, J. S., |
| Publisher | University of Ottawa (Canada) |
| Source Sets | Université d’Ottawa |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | 397 p. |
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