Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Anger Dysregulation with Military Veterans: A Pilot Study

Donahue, John J.; Santanello, Andrew; Marsiglio, Mary C.; Male, Lynn M. Van

doi:10.1007/s10879-017-9361-z

Cited by 15 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…Therapeutic strategies that target physiological arousal may be a key, initial intervention point for the successful regulation of anger (see discussions in Brondolo et al, 1997;Mackintosh et al, 2014;Novaco, 2011). In fact, several interventions modalities, such as CBT (Reilly & Shopshire, 2002, relaxation training (Deffenbacher et al, 2000(Deffenbacher et al, , 2002, ACT (Donahue et al, 2017;Plambeck, 2015;Zarling et al, 2015), and mindfulness-based protocols (Bergman et al, 2016;Galantino et al, 2005), all target the disruption of the physiological arousal cycle associated with the maintenance of anger and aggression. This targeting is consistent with Novaco's (2011) conceptualization of arousal as a "fundamental part of anger treatment, and it is unfortunately given insufficient attention by CBT therapists" (p. 253), and it is empirically supported by Mackintosh and colleagues' (2014) finding that increases in arousal calming skills during AMT predicted larger reductions in physiological arousal, cognitive, and behavioral anger-related symptoms.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Despite the high levels of anger reported among veterans and service members (Biddle et al, 2002;Jakupcak et al, 2007;Worthen et al, 2014), only a few studies have focused on treating anger among veterans (e.g., Chemtob et al, 1997;Donahue et al, 2017;Morland et al, 2010). To date, there has been only one treatment study that has focused on improving anger symptoms among active duty service members (Cash et al, 2018).…”

Section: Research Among Veterans and Service Membersmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Clinical interventions for problematic anger.

Morland¹,

Glassman²,

Mackintosh³

et al. 2021

Anger at Work: Prevention, Intervention, and Treatment in High-Risk Occupations.

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Individuals working in occupations with high exposure to trauma are at greater risk for developing posttraumatic stress disorder and dysregulated anger; significant anger symptoms often persist even after posttraumatic stress disorder is successfully treated.• Although several anger management interventions have been evaluated, including cognitive behavior therapy and mindfulness-focused interventions, research in this area is limited and has yet to establish evidence-based practices. However, interventions that reduce physiological arousal appear to be the most successful at improving anger regulation.• Researchers should continue to develop novel methods for increasing the accessibility and engagement in current anger management protocols with the best evidence base; digital health platforms may be an effective modality for these interventions.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Research Among Veterans and Service Membersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Clinical interventions for problematic anger.

Morland¹,

Glassman²,

Mackintosh³

et al. 2021

Anger at Work: Prevention, Intervention, and Treatment in High-Risk Occupations.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…This finding is in parallel with studies on self-control. It has been reported that ACT-based interventions are effective in anger management (Donahue, Santanello, Marsiglio, & Van Male, 2017), result in decreased impulsivity and increased self-control in at-risk youth (Soriano, Salas, Martinez, Ruiz, & Blarrina, 2009). Another issue the participants stated as a pre-psychoeducation problem is conflict and crisis management.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Mixed-Method Study Exploring the Effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Based Group Psychoeducation Program on Psychological Flexibility

Kırca

Ekşi

2020

Spiritual Psychology and Counseling

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This study aims to develop, implement, and test the effectiveness of an Acceptance and Commitment Therapy-based psychoeducation program for fostering psychological flexibility. The study employed a convergent mixed methods design. For the quantitative phase, the pre-test post-test control group experimental design was used, while in the qualitative phase, a thematic analysis was conducted. The study group consisted of 13 first-year students of the Department of Guidance and Counseling, and Psychology, aged between 18-22, 8 of whom are in the experiment group, and 5 in the control group. The students participated in 8 sessions of 90 minutes. Before and after the psychoeducation, the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II was administered to the students and they were also asked to answer the formerly specified open-ended questions in writing. Mann Whitney U and Wilcoxon Signed Ranks tests were used for statistical analysis; while thematic analysis was used for the qualitative component of the study. Quantitative findings showed that psychoeducation significantly increased psychological flexibility, but the change was not at a level to differ from the control group; while qualitative findings revealed that participants experienced changes in 10 themes after psychoeducation. These themes are Being Present, Self-Control, Value-Based Actions, Defusion and Coping with Feelings and Thoughts, Knowledge of Self and Others, Acceptance, Non-Avoidance, Conflict and Crisis Management, Authenticity, and Anxiety. The quantitative and qualitative findings are discussed in light of the relevant literature.

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“…Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is widely regarded as a moderately effective intervention approach for problem anger (Lee & DiGiuseppe, 2018). However, CBT for problematic anger has been met with some criticisms including high dropout rates (Berta & Zarling, 2019) and lack of data on efficacy in heterogeneous populations (Chesworth, 2018; Donahue et al, 2017; Toohey, 2021), especially among low-income and minority individuals (Saavedra, 2007). Though discussions of CBT for anger highlight the need for more work addressing mechanisms of change (Toohey, 2021), other research suggests that reductions in anger symptoms are mediated by increases in calming skills, but not cognitive or behavioral skills, after a course of group CBT (Mackintosh et al, 2014).…”

Section: Treating Problematic Anger With Acceptance and Commitment Th...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) for Problematic Anger: A Case Study

Tifft

Roberts

Underwood

et al. 2022

Clinical Case Studies

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Though anger is a common human emotion, the unfettered behavioral expression of anger is often costly, contributing to a range of functional impairments, poor quality of life, and both physical and mental health problems. The current case illustrates how a third-generation cognitive behavioral therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), may be effective in reducing suffering linked with problematic anger. The client (“Robert”), a treatment-naïve man of low socioeconomic status, presented to a university training clinic reporting problematic anger outbursts that interfered with his relationships at work and with his girlfriend. The therapist conceptualized Robert’s problematic anger through the ACT psychological flexibility model, wherein Robert’s anger appeared to function as experiential avoidance to distance him from underlying emotional hurt. The therapist used ACT over 27 sessions to reduce Robert’s psychological inflexibility while promoting more psychological flexibility. Early sessions highlighted the unworkability of Robert’s anger, whereas subsequent sessions focused on clarifying values, loosening cognitive fusion, facilitating present moment awareness, and cultivating mindful acceptance in the service of living a meaningful life. The therapist monitored treatment progress using quantitative measures and qualitative reports. Collectively, the client showed notable gains. The case study adds to the growing body of literature supporting ACT for problematic anger.

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Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Anger Dysregulation with Military Veterans: A Pilot Study

Cited by 15 publications

References 31 publications

Clinical interventions for problematic anger.

Clinical interventions for problematic anger.

A Mixed-Method Study Exploring the Effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Based Group Psychoeducation Program on Psychological Flexibility

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) for Problematic Anger: A Case Study

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