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Group Anger Control Training for junior high school delinquents

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Abstract

An Anger Control Training program was delivered in a group format for biweekly sessions at a public junior high school. Thirty-six adolescents were chosen from an inschool sample of 100 students in a behavior modification program for multisuspended delinquents, based on high rates of classroom and/or community disruptions. Students were randomly assigned to one of three treatment groups, or to a no-contact control group. All subjects received a pre- and posttest battery, and continuous measures of school suspensions and fines for disruptive behavior were recorded during the program. Students were taught both general self-control strategies and strategies specific to aggressive/disruptive incidents. Analyses of the results revealed significant change scores for treatment subjects on dependent measures of problem-solving ability and self-control. Changes in daily frequencies of fines for disruptive behavior and for severe aggression resulting in expulsion from school were obtained between groups. Results are discussed in terms of the effectiveness of an inschool self-control training program as an adjunct to other behavior modification systems.

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Feindler, E.L., Marriott, S.A. & Iwata, M. Group Anger Control Training for junior high school delinquents. Cogn Ther Res 8, 299–311 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01173000

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