Gina Sita, Psy.D.
Incoming Class of 2006
Internship: Pilgrim Psychiatric Center
September 2012 Conferral
Program Evaluation of Teen Anger Management (TAME) in a School Setting
Chair: Eva L. Feindler, Ph.D.
Anger-related problems and increasing aggression and violence among American youth necessitates the development of an effective anger management program that targets the skills training, cognitive tendencies and emotional regulation instruction supported by the literature on anger control. The purpose of this study was to collect preliminary evidence on the effectiveness of the Teen Anger Management Education program (TAME) developed by Feindler and Gerber (2008). A sample of 20 middle school students (ages 13-14) was recruited from a charter school in Roosevelt, NY and assigned to a treatment or wait-list control group. Data were collected using the Behavior Assessment Scales for Children, Second Edition, How I Think Questionnaire and Multidimensional School Anger Inventory at pre-intervention and post-intervention. A mixed model statistical analysis was used to evaluate treatment effects. Adolescent participants reported changes in cognitive distortions related to oppositional behavior and self-centered thinking, in addition to greater anger control. Parent reports indicate that after completing TAME, adolescent participants showed improvements with regard to bullying and conduct problems, but also showed increased social skills difficulties. Teachers reported improvements in adolescent anger control in school. Suggestions for effective implementation of the TAME program in a school setting and implications for future research are discussed.