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Abstract

A brief, six-item measure was developed for the rapid screening and identification of anger and aggression levels in violence-prone men. Four studies were conducted to examine the reliability and validity of the measure using a clinical data base of 401 men. Analyses indicated a satisfactory degree of internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and a significant relationship between the brief measure and Buss-Durkee Hostility Inventory total scores. Significantly higher scores were observed for three types of assault samples, including a group of domestic batterers, a group of generally assaultive men, and a mixed assault group, when compared to nonviolent controls. A cutting score for violent versus nonviolent group classification was determined via discriminant analysis. Significant differences observed at post-test between an anger management treatment group and waiting-list control subjects further illustrated the measure's sensitivity to changes in psychological status and provided additional support for its clinical validity and utility.

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A Brief Measure for the Assessment of Anger and Aggression

Abstract

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