Anger Assessment and Intervention in Rural Youth

描述（由申请人提供）：今天的青少年生活在暴力时代。迫在眉睫的伊拉克战争，2001年9月11日的事件，以及国家的高度恐怖警戒都在折磨着青少年的应对能力。青少年死亡的三大主要原因：伤害、他杀和自杀，它们都有一个共同点，那就是愤怒。无人看管的愤怒常常导致暴力，这是我国青少年普遍存在的问题。在科伦拜恩、琼斯博罗和其他农村社区发生的悲剧中，暴力事件不断升级，这使得在这些人群中制定应对策略变得至关重要。这个名为“教孩子应对愤怒”（TKC-A）的项目是一个基于学校的行为干预项目，它将愤怒作为一种可能导致青少年问题行为的潜在信号，特别是那些生活在农村地区的青少年，他们获得支持的机会有限。六分之一的农村家庭生活贫困；高失业率、生物恐怖主义和其他经济压力给青少年带来了压力，导致焦虑、抑郁、酒精和药物使用、犯罪、学业失败、与同龄人关系不佳以及自尊丧失的风险增加。这并不奇怪；因此，居住在农村地区的青年容易出现愤怒管理方面的困难，而他们所在社区的典型特点是缺乏获得精神保健服务的机会。本研究的目的是提供一种针对愤怒的干预措施，这是导致农村地区青少年高风险行为的一个因素。TKC-A包括八个一小时的互动会议，由受过训练的小组组长领导。应对技巧通过角色扮演、小组项目、讨论、头脑风暴和讲义来教授和练习。TKC-A的目标是在宾夕法尼亚州西南部农村高中就读的大一、大二和初中学生。具体目的是：(1)描述愤怒体验、愤怒表达及其潜在相关因素（抑郁症状、应对策略、感知社会支持、药物使用、自尊、乐观、焦虑、生活事件、纪律处分和人口统计学特征）；(2)检验愤怒及其潜在相关因素之间的关系；(3)评价干预效果。这一干预措施通过向农村青年提供服务来缩小健康差距。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Today's adolescents are living in violent times. The impending war with Iraq, the events of September 11, 2001, and the nations high terror alert prey upon adolescents' coping. The three leading causes of death among adolescents: injuries, homicide, and suicide, all have one thing in common, anger. Unattended anger often leads to violence, a pervasive problem among our nation's teens. An escalation in violence such as that seen in the tragedies at Columbine, Jonesboro, and other rural communities has made instituting coping strategies among this population essential. This project, Teaching Kids to Cope with Anger (TKC-A) is a school based behavioral intervention that addresses anger as a potential signal that may lead to problem behaviors in youth, especially those who live in rural areas for whom access to support is limited. One in six rural families live in poverty; high unemployment, bioterrorism, and other economic pressures put stress on teens, leading to increased risk for anxiety, depression, alcohol and substance use, delinquency, school failure, poor relations with peers, and loss of self esteem. It is no surprise; therefore, that youth who reside in rural areas are susceptible to anger management difficulties, which are compounded by a lack of access to mental health services that are typical of their communities. The goal of this study is to provide an intervention targeting anger as a factor that contributes to high-risk behavior for youth living in rural areas. TKC-A consists of eight one-hour interactive sessions that are led by a trained group leader. Coping skills are taught and practiced through role-playing, group projects, discussions, brainstorming, and handouts. The TKC-A targets freshman, sophomore, and junior level students who attend rural high schools in Southwestern Pennsylvania. Specific aims are to (1) describe anger experience, anger expression and its potential correlates (depressive symptoms, coping strategies, perceived social support, drug use, self-esteem, optimism, anxiety, life events, disciplinary actions, and demographic characteristics; (2) examine the relationship between anger and its potential correlates; and (3) evaluate the effect of the intervention. The intervention reduces a health disparity by providing a service for rural youth.