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Media Release

13 November 2003

Readiness, a priority for anger management success

The success of anger management programs is being hampered by a failure to address people’s readiness to undergo treatment, a University of South Australia study shows.

A previous study of 200 violent offenders in WA and SA, by researchers from UniSA’s Forensic and Applied Psychology Research Group, revealed that offenders who were not ready to undertake treatment showed almost no improvement in anger management after undergoing a treatment program.

Offenders who were motivated and ready to work on their anger problems showed greater improvements on a wide range of anger measures, while those who were poorly motivated showed less or no change, according to the Group’s leader, Professor Kevin Howells.

Rather than giving an anger management program to everyone, Professor Howells believes we should be selecting people who are likely to benefit.

In a recently published analysis, UniSA researchers have identified seven factors that indicate why readiness for anger management might be low and what might make people ready or not ready for treatment. These factors include the complexity of the people with anger problems, the setting in which treatment is delivered, existing beliefs about an anger problem, being pressured or forced to undergo treatment, inadequate analysis of the context of personal goals within which anger occurs, ethnic and cultural differences, and differing anger traits according to gender.

Professor Howells explained that many offenders have complex problems such as major personality disorders, mental illness, substance abuse or huge family dysfunction that diminish their readiness and reduce the effectiveness of anger management programs.

“The setting in which anger management is conducted can also affect outcomes, with evidence of better results occurring in community rather than in institutional settings.

“Angry people may have existing attitudes and beliefs that prevent them from reaching an agreement with a therapist on treatment goals. Some believe that their anger is appropriate and that it works. They believe that they are right and not personally responsible for their anger, often blaming the victim,” Professor Howells said.

“Another impediment to anger management programs occurs when offenders are coerced or forced into treatment against their wishes. Those who agree that they need treatment and perceive it as likely to be helpful in meeting their goals see pressure to attend therapy as a less significant issue.

“Anger is typically provoked by obstacles to personal goal attainment so treatment programs have to fit with the personal goals of offenders.

“Ethnic and cultural differences result in treatment programs that do not accommodate the needs of some groups and require modifications. This is particularly important for populations in which minority cultural groups are over-represented, for example, in Australia, where more than 20 per cent of imprisoned offenders are from the Aboriginal community.

“Anger often has different triggers for men and women. Assumptions that interventions and management strategies developed using male participants will equally benefit women may be questionable and should be reassessed to address the different needs of women,” Professor Howells said.

Alternative intervention strategies should be used for people who are low in readiness, according to Professor Howells. “For these people psychological and similar programs observing certain key principles have significantly better treatment outcomes, with attention focused on client and program characteristics that influence the offender’s ability to learn within a therapeutic situation rather than an education focus,” Professor Howells said.

“Readiness can be determined when offenders recognise that they have an anger problem, assume personal responsibility for their behaviour, can formulate treatment goals, have positive expectations of the program offered, and believe they are capable of change.”
 

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