NOVACO ANGER SCALE - RELIABILITY AND VALIDITY WITHIN AN ADULT CRIMINAL SAMPLE

This study investigated the reliability and validity of the Novaco Ang er Scale (NAS; Novaco, 1994) with two groups of correctional offenders , General Admissions and Violent Admissions. Predominantly White male offenders (N = 204), ranging in age from 18 to 69 years, participated in the study. One-month test-retest reliability for the General Admiss ions group ranged from .78 to .91 using both similar (paper-pencil) an d dissimilar (computerized) retesting methods, with lower scores occur ring on retest. Significantly lower scores were found for the Violent Admissions group as compared with the General Admissions group. Concur rent validity was examined in the Violent Admissions group using three anger/aggression measures and clinical ratings of eight anger dimensi ons. Stronger correlations with other similar anger measures than with negative affect indices revealed concurrent and discriminant validity . Implications for clinical use in an offender population are discusse d.