User:Jemcdaniels/sandbox

Types of Anger Management Treatment
There are several different strategies discussed in the targeted populations subheading, but here is a look at other specific types of anger management treatment types. Several of the studies examined used self-report, which is some psychologists feel could be a limitation for results. People do not want others to think of them as angry individuals, so their answers could be changed to fit how society wants them to behave.

Prevention and Relationship Enchantment Program

The PREP has been run in a study made up of Air Force families in which they were assigned to either a traditional multi-couple group format or a self- directed book version focusing on relationship satisfaction and anger management skills. There was a significant main effect for time related to both relationship satisfaction (pretest M = 49.8, SD = 17.6; post-test M = 53.8, SD = 17.6, F(1, 76) = 6.91, p < .01), and anger management skills, (pretest M = 32.2, SD = 4.2; post-test M = 34.6, SD = 4.0, F(1, 74) = 31.79, p < .001). The self-directed book version did not show as positive of results. Improving a couple’s anger management skills can be a vital step in ensuring there are no violent outbreaks throughout the relationship.

Positive Therapy

This is a style that is commonly used in elementary schools for students expressing anger outbreaks. Researchers who have looked into the reason for young student anger have found that one common reason could be the inability to adjust socially. Students that were selected for this study received a daily one-hour session throughout one week of school. The leaders of the therapy talked with the children and tried to do activities that put the child in a positive mood while interacting. At the end of the week, research showed that there was a negative correlation between anger and social adjustment. This therapy lowered the overall anger levels of the students involved while raising them in social adjustment.

Cognitive behavioral treatment and personal development

The use of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is something that many anger management therapies incorporate. By trying to get a patient to open up about their emotions and feelings and being driven to accomplish a specific task (in this case controlling anger), a person can see positive results in their behavior. A specific study found in the Clinical Child Psychology Journal focused on using a mix of CBT as well as trying to use personal development (PD) the patient. The conclusion of the study found that the participants increased their usage of the anger management techniques and that they also felt more in control of their own anger. On top of that, the PD led to higher views of themselves and more positive self-esteem. Aggression has been shown to be a result of poor self-worth as well as thinking that those around you do not care or support you, so this PD is vital in helping change a person’s self-perception. Personal changes like these can lead to less aggression and cut down on violent acts.

Anger Diary

Understanding your own emotions can be a crucial piece of learning how to deal with your anger. Children who write down their negative emotions in an “anger diary” can actually end up improving their emotional understandings, which in turn can lead to less aggression. When it comes to dealing with their emotions, children show the ability to learn best by seeing direct examples of instances that led to certain levels of anger. By seeing the reasons why they got angry, they can in the future try to avoid those actions or be prepared for the feeling they experience if they do find themselves doing something that typically results in them being angry. There is not sufficient evidence of this needing to be implemented in elementary schools, but activities like this could lead to children writing down their negative feelings and anger and taking time to cool down instead of lashing out and doing aggressive actions in person.

Groups that need Anger Management
Listed below are several different categories of people who would benefit from having anger management courses and or training.

People with violent backgrounds

This is the easiest group to classify but is not a group of people you can hop right over. Just because someone has a violent past does not mean they would not benefit from an anger management (AM) program. One such study found that offenders who were currently in high security hospitals that went through a self-report 20 class training program actually had very positive results. Results of the self-report showed a decrease in aggression and a lack of responding when angry. There were two issues to keep in mind though; a hospital setting and a setting in which the researchers did not want to provoke much anger due to the instability of the patients. While normal courses of action when dealing with previous anger offenders focuses on how to not respond when feeling angry, few studies focus on forensic mental health settings like this one. More focus on understanding the person’s mental health could lead to understanding what specific AM strategy would be most effective.

People with Intellectual Disabilities

This is a group that a majority of the population might not associate with having AM problems, but research shows over half of the population of Americans with intellectual disabilities displays violent aggressive actions somewhat regularly. People with a learning disability tend to express anger and aggression to even those who help them on a daily basis. Adults with intellectual disabilities are at high risk of acting aggressive and being send to clinics due to their actions. The “theory of the mind” approach states that people with anger management problems tend to be unsteady mentally and are not able to internalize any blame for their actions. One of the main reasons for anger outbursts is externalizing blame and having a quick impulse to lash out. These individuals need to have a better understanding of what their actions mean and that they should understand that blaming themselves for problems can sometimes be the right thing to do.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Individuals

PTSD is a symptom that tends to lead people to act very violently and aggressively. People with this condition are mentally fragile and people who interact with them need to be cautious. This group can benefit from extended CBT dealing with anger management issues. One study dealing with 86 war veterans found that during the 12 sessions of training, anger traits slightly dropped as well as small reductions in expressing anger. Research also indicates that their antisocial personality disorder traits upon return can put them behind in society, so finding the right anger management courses is of vital importance. There were not significant enough findings from this study to definitely recommend veterans with PTSD to use CBT anger management courses.

People with Traumatic Brain Injuries

People with Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI) tend to display very aggressive and dangerous actions. A study in the Brain Injury journal showed that one way to prevent such actions is a community based treatment of people with TBI. Results indicated that the need to lash out diminished after the 12-week program, and a series of post-treatment testing showed a decline in self-reported frequency of angry actions. Other specific results included: significant decreases in the frequency of experiencing angry feelings and the frequency of outward expression of anger as well as significant increases in the frequency of controlling feelings of anger.

Bullies

This category of individuals needs to be helped because of the ongoing school shootings across the United States. In a meta-analysis study composed of studies completed from 1979-2010, young school aged children were given several different anger management classes. Overall, results showed slightly positive results for children receiving the classes (less aggression). The courses aimed at reducing negative emotions in the children and trying to help them with self-control. While no overarching conclusions could be made, researchers state that children going through anger management courses are more prepared to combat their anger internally and less likely to act out. This is such a prevalent issue in our society, and while the results were not overwhelmingly positive, any reduction in bullying is a step in the right direction.

Substance Abusers

There is no statistical information that shows substance abusers also have high rates of aggressive actions. However, researchers believe this is a group of people that should be studied due to their questionable decision-making and typically unstable mental health. Substance abusers could benefit from an anger management class not only in preventing potential aggression, but potentially to understand that they need to slowly work off the drugs in order to achieve a better mental state.

Ways to plan ahead for reduced chance of anger management
Research is starting to show that the better individuals understand what anger management is and how it can help them personally and in relationships, aggressive actions are less likely to occur. Specifically, couples need to understand what to do in a fight or disagreement, and the more knowledgeable the individuals are on how to manage their anger, the better prepared they are when confronted with a problem with another person.

Child psychologists

The ability for young children to understand their emotions and how to react in certain situations can greatly increase their chance of expressing themselves in an appropriate manner. A 2010 study from the Journal Of Applied School Psychology looked at four 4th grade boys who took part in different activities with the school psychologist, ranging from how to deal with your emotions to practicing anger reduction strategies. They found a positive correlation between partaking in these meetings and less anger expressing in a multitude of locations (school, home, etc). This study also opens the question of what a school psychologist should be able to teach to their children. Many schools do not put anger management in the list of duties for the psychologist to openly talk about with children, but having young children learn about methods that would later prevent anger seems like a worthwhile issue.

Potential causes of development of anger problems
Things like drinking, mental disabilities, and PTSD can all lead to a person committed an aggressive act to another person. Also not having any training on how to handle oneself in a time of aggression can lead to very undesirable outcomes. These things are typically associated with a heightened chance of anger, but there are other factors less known that can also lead to people acting in a negative way.

Migraines

Something as small as frequent migraines can actually cause certain levels of aggression and the need for anger management. A recent 2013 study examined migraines and its association with anger problems in young children (m = 11.2 years of age). The patients in the study were split into low migraine attack frequency (AF), intermediate AF, high frequency, and chronic migraine AF. The tendency for a participant to inhibit their anger and not lash out was found more in children with higher AF. Children that qualified for low migraine AF actually had more anger expression.