Sheri I Wolnerman, Psy.D.
Incoming Class of 2007
Internship: Fay J. Lindner Center for Autism and Developmental Disabilities
September 2013 Conferral
Hostile Attribution Bias and of Self-Esteem: Do They Correlate with Aggression in At-Risk Adolescents in Residential Treatment Settings?
Chair: Eva L Feindler, Ph.D.
Adolescent aggression is increasing exponentially in the United States and threatening the lives of countless youth. This study assessed the relationship between hostile attribution bias, self-esteem and aggressive behavior in at-risk adolescents in residential treatment to determine correlates of aggression. The study focused on whether self-esteem, in conjunction with hostile attribution bias, correlates with aggressive behavior. The hypothesis was that hostile attribution bias would positively correlate with aggression. The first exploratory question was to examine the direction of the relationship between self-esteem with aggression and the second exploratory question was to examine whether the variable of self-esteem contributes even more predictive power in the relationship between hostile attribution bias and aggression. A target sample of 62 teenagers was studied. The adolescents were assessed as part of a wider program evaluation of a treatment designed to reduce aggressive behavior. This treatment has been mandated by the courts of Virginia for adolescents who have either been arrested for various crimes, or were removed from their homes and are currently residing in group homes. A correlational analysis was conducted from data that were extracted from questionnaires completed by both the residential staff and adolescents, regarding the adolescents’ cognitions and behaviors to examine the degree to which hostile thinking and self-esteem predict aggression. Subscales from three main instruments were examined: 1) Behavior Assessment Scales for Children, Second Edition (BASC-2) (Reynolds & Kamphaus, 2004), 2) How I Think Questionnaire (HIT-Q) (Gibbs, Barriga, & Potter, 2001), and 3) Multidimensional School Anger Inventory (MSAI; Smith, Furlong, Bates & Laughlin, 1998). The hypothesis was confirmed but no significant relationship was found between self-esteem and aggression.