Year: 2017
Type: article
Study designs: Randomized Controlled Trial, Clinical Trial
Abstract: Although the costs of uncontrolled anger are well-known, interventions for anger are less frequently studied and less effective than interventions for either depression or anxiety (NAMA, 2012). One hundred eighty-seven patients requesting anger management treatment at an outpatient counseling center in Denver participated in this study. They were randomly assigned to one of two treatments: an experimental treatment integrating forgiveness therapy and anger management, or anger treatment as usual. Treatment consisted of twelve 90-minute sessions held once a week in small groups led by group facilitators. Participants in both treatment conditions reported clinically significant decreases in state anger and increases in anger control and forgiveness, with the experimental treatment outperforming treatment as usual on all outcome variables. These findings suggest that adding a forgiveness component to anger treatment may increase the efficacy of treatment for anger. Furthermore, results of this study suggest that forgiveness therapy may be efficacious not just with victims, but with offenders as well.
Author: Michael Schaefer Ballard
Language: English
Subfield: Social Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2797431833