Anger treatment in chemically-dependent inpatients: evaluation of phase effects and gender

There is a growing quest for anger management techniques especially in underserved populations. Patients with a substance abuse history often have untreated anger problems.

To test a new comprehensive program for prevention, intervention, and remediation of anger in chemically-dependent patients. A secondary aim was to explore any anger differences between males versus females.

Twenty-six participants (13 male, 13 female) completed three phases of treatment plus follow-up. Dependent measures were six subscales of the (STAXI) questionnaire and self-monitored frequency, duration, and intensity of anger.

A significant multivariate effect of phase of study accounted for 42% of the variance in STAXI scores. Univariate F-tests confirmed significant changes on all STAXI subscales. Most of these were between pre and post phases of the study, the effect sizes = +0.8 for state anger and +0.99 for trait anger. For self-monitored variables, significant reductions emerged between treatment phases, the average pre-post effect size = +1.02. Gender did not affect STAXI scores although females had more self-monitored anger, particularly anger episodes.

Findings suggest cumulative efficacy of the anger treatment program. That trait anger declined more than state anger may indicate characterological change in addition to situational change; anger frequency and duration declined more than intensity in keeping with other reports that intensity peaks suddenly and is less modifiable. That males and females were generally similar in anger is worth noting in relation to other studies. Finally, participant attrition is discussed as a problem and a possible index of treatment outcome.