ANGER REDUCTION IN EARLY ADOLESCENTS

High-anger 6-8th graders received cognitive-relaxation coping skills ( CRCS), social skills training (SST), or no treatment. Compared to the control, CRCS and SST were equally effective in reducing trait, genera l, and personal-situational anger and outward negative anger expressio n, as well as increasing controlled anger expression. On other variabl es, however, CRCS showed some superiority. Although both interventions led to equivalent reductions on one measure of anxiety, CRCS lowered depression, shyness, general deviance, and another measure of anxiety, whereas SST did not and was not significantly different from other gr oups. CRCS lowered school deviance more than SST. No between-group dif ferences were found on self-esteem, alcohol consumption, or intoxicati on. Possible explanations of these findings were discussed, along with methodological issues.