Maladaptive Anger Treatment

Description

From a psychoevolutionary perspective, anger is a universal emotion that can serve the function of making us aware of wrongdoing and motivating us to undo/correct the wrongdoing. However, it is well recognized in clinical psychology that anger can be maladaptive, often causing distress and impairment in various areas of day-to-day life; untreated maladaptive anger has been found to raise the risk of certain physical health problems e.g., hypertension and coronary heart disease. At the very extreme, rage has been implicated in aggression and violence. Not surprisingly, there has been a widespread quest for anger treatments or what is popularly called "anger management". One treatment approach that has received increasing empirical support is Cognitive Behavioral Affective Therapy (CBAT), which has been applied to patients with chemical dependence and individuals with chronic pain. To extend this programmatic line of research, the proposed research aims to evaluate the efficacy of CBAT in reducing multiple (psychometric and self-monitored) measures of anger within a community sample.

Conditions

Anger, Intermittent Explosive Disorder, Emotional Distress, Aggression, Violence

Study Overview

Study Details

Study overview

From a psychoevolutionary perspective, anger is a universal emotion that can serve the function of making us aware of wrongdoing and motivating us to undo/correct the wrongdoing. However, it is well recognized in clinical psychology that anger can be maladaptive, often causing distress and impairment in various areas of day-to-day life; untreated maladaptive anger has been found to raise the risk of certain physical health problems e.g., hypertension and coronary heart disease. At the very extreme, rage has been implicated in aggression and violence. Not surprisingly, there has been a widespread quest for anger treatments or what is popularly called "anger management". One treatment approach that has received increasing empirical support is Cognitive Behavioral Affective Therapy (CBAT), which has been applied to patients with chemical dependence and individuals with chronic pain. To extend this programmatic line of research, the proposed research aims to evaluate the efficacy of CBAT in reducing multiple (psychometric and self-monitored) measures of anger within a community sample.

Cognitive Behavioral Affective Therapy (CBAT) for Maladaptive Anger in a Community Sample: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Maladaptive Anger Treatment

Condition
Anger
Intervention / Treatment

-

Contacts and Locations

San Antonio

The University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas, United States, 78249

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

For general information about clinical research, read Learn About Studies.

Eligibility Criteria

  • * Live in the United States
  • * Have maladaptive anger (as assessed by the STAXI-2)
  • * Do not currently have any serious psychiatric illnesses (e.g., schizophrenia, autism, dementia, suicidal ideation)
  • * Are not currently undergoing psychological or psychiatric treatment
  • * Are not currently undergoing an anger treatment program
  • * Speak English
  • * Does not live in the United States
  • * Does not have maladaptive anger, as assessed by the STAXI-2
  • * Has a current serious psychiatric illness (e.g., schizophrenia, autism, dementia, suicidal ideation)
  • * Is currently undergoing psychological or psychiatric treatment
  • * Is currently undergoing an anger treatment program
  • * Does not speak English

Ages Eligible for Study

18 Years to 65 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Collaborators and Investigators

The University of Texas at San Antonio,

Study Record Dates

2025-12-31