Anger management for adolescents: Efficacy of brief group therapy

Objectives: To investigate the efficacy of a brief, manual-based group ther apy for adolescents with poor anger control. A previously developed anger m anagement treatment package of 10 to 12 sessions was condensed to a 4-sessi on package to be given within 2 weeks. Immediate effectiveness and the tran sfer of skills were investigated; anger management skills not only had to b e acquired, they also had to be used in the adolescents' natural social int eractions. Method: Fifty adolescent psychiatric inpatients were selected fo r high levels of anger and randomly assigned to treatment or control condit ions. Pre- and posttreatment measures were administered to subjects and adu lts who rated the subjects' behaviors. Results: Pre/post self-report measur es, as well as behavior ratings by adults, indicated that the patients who went through the anger management series exhibited significantly improved s kills. Conclusions: These results suggested that the intervention for adole scents was effective even though it was condensed, but it should not be fur ther abbreviated.