More re CT with Anger

Deffenbacher, J. L.; Dahlen, E. R.; Lynch, R. S.; Morris, C. D. & Gowensmith, W. N. An application of Beck's cognitive therapy to general anger reduction. Cognitive Therapy & Research. 2000 Dec Vol 24(6) 689-697. ABSTRACT: A. T. Beck's cognitive therapy (CT) was compared to a no-treatment control in the reduction of anger in 69 college students (mean age 19 yrs). The Ss were randomly assigned to CT or no-treatment control. CT was delivered in 9 weekly 1-hr small group sessions. Multiple measures were selected to assess different, although potentially correlated facets of anger. Trait anxiety and depression were also assessed. CT lowered trait anger, anger reactivity to many potential provocations, anger in the individual's most angering ongoing situation, daily anger, anger-related physiological arousal, anger suppression, and outward negative expression. CT also enhanced positive forms of anger expression. Treatment effect sizes were medium to large, with many being quite large, and significantly more CT participants met an index of clinically significant change. Moreover, CT lowered trait anxiety and depression. Reductions of anger and trait anxiety were maintained at 15-mo follow-up. CT was judged an effective, promising treatment for anger reduction.

Dahlen, E. R. & Deffenbacher, J. L. (2000) A partial component analysis of Beck's cognitive therapy for the treatment of general anger. Journal of Cognitive Psychotherapy, 14, 77-95. ABSTRACT: 86 high-anger undergraduates, aged 18-42 yrs, were assigned to 8 group sessions of Beck's full cognitive therapy (FCT) focusing on both cognitive and behavioral change, cognitive restructuring only (CRO) focusing only on cognitive change, or a no-treatment control. Analyses suggested treatments were delivered in an equivalent, high-quality manner and that therapists adhered to treatment protocols. By 5-wk follow-up, treatment groups, while not differing from each other, showed reductions in trait anger, cognitive, emotional, and behavioral components of anger, the individual's greatest ongoing source of anger, and anger-related physiological arousal. Treatments lowered anger suppression and outward negative expression and enhanced controlled expression. Compared with controls, CRO also reduced trait anxiety and depression. Treatment effect sizes were medium (eta-sup-2 = .06-13) to large (eta-sup-2 > .13), and more treatment participants met a clinically reliable change index on trait anger. Findings support FCT and CRO for general anger reduction.

Deffenbacher, J. L. (1999) Cognitive-behavioral conceptualization and treatment of anger. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 55, 295-309. ABSTRACT: This article outlines several therapeutic issues in working with angry clients and provides a conceptual framework for understanding, assessing, and treating them. Cognitive-behavioral interventions addressing different elements of the problematic anger are then described. However, it was emphasized that careful attention must be paid to unique client characteristics, to their stage of readiness for change, and to the therapeutic relationship and alliance if therapeutic impasses are to be minimized and successful application of cognitive-behavioral strategies is to be maximized. These issues and strategies are clarified in the specifics of 2 difficult cases.

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