Tiers 2 & 3 Intervention: Anger Management

Authors

Kenneth Parnell, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Russell Skiba, Indiana University
Reece L. Peterson, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
Scott Fluke, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Document Type

Learning Object

Date of this Version

10-2013

Citation

Strategy brief

Building and Sustaining Student Engagement series (October 2013)

Barkley Center, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska, United States

Abstract

Conclusions

Students who engage in aggressive behaviors often have cognitive distortions that can be addressed in a therapeutic setting. Anger management programs challenge these distortions with the goal of replacing aggressive reactions to peers and the environment with positive, adaptive, and prosocial reactions. There has been relatively little definitive research on this topic. Existing research on anger management programs is promising with several studies demonstrating that a variety of programs can lead to positive outcomes for youth. However, much of this research has been conducted by program developers, prompting calls for research confirming their promising findings.

Anger management provides students with tools to control their actions and reactions in a potential conflict. In the short-term, anger management techniques have generally been shown to have positive effects on the delinquent and problem behaviors of aggressive students. Students who receive anger management training showed decreased drug and alcohol usage, increased self-esteem, and decreased problem behaviors, although the intervention did not change delinquent behavior. Long-term benefits of anger management training still need to be proven. The success of anger management training is, in part, dependent on the length of treatment and how the treatment is framed for the students. Students who engage in supplemental interventions, such as goal setting or aggression replacement training, show enhanced improvements in behavior and attitude. Overall, anger management is a promising intervention that can be used to help decrease disruptive and violent behavior in aggressive students.

Implementation of anger management programs may prove challenging for schools, who face increasing demands on time and resources. Effective anger management programs are not likely to be brief interventions. Instead, school personnel would likely need to commit several hours a week to preparing and running a program. For this reason, researchers have typically relied on mental health professionals, including graduate students, school counselors, school psychologists, and social workers to implement their programs. Research has not yet identified the effectiveness of these interventions when conducted by classroom teachers. Despite these limitations, anger management programs are a promising avenue for addressing aggressive and other antisocial behaviors for students.