Aggressive and disruptive children and adolescents who have difficulty with anger management. Their cognitive problem solving skills are also impaired when they are emotionally aroused. Aggressive behavior is often a reflection of inability to regulate emotional reactions to stimuli that are anger inducing.
Aggressive children are also at risk for school failure, dropout, and poor peer relations.
The Anger Coping Program is a school-based group intervention designed to reduce future conduct problems, delinquency, and substance abuse. Based on a social-cognitive model of anger arousal and consistent with social information processing models of social competence the intervention focuses on the cognitive distortions and cognitive deficiencies often found in aggressive children. The lessons promote self-instruction and awareness, and builds social cognitive skills. Sessions were held weekly for 12 weeks and last 45-60 minutes. Sessions included role-plays and activities that generate affective arousal.