Novaco Anger Scale Research Articles

Acupuncture for Attenuating Frontal Lobe α Band Asymmetry Induced by Anger: a pilot study.

Previous studies have shown that anger can lead to frontal lobe α (8-13 Hz) band asymmetry (FAA) in electroencephalogram (EEG), in accordance with motivational direction. This pilot study aimed to investigate the impact of acupuncture on FAA elicited by anger. Thirty-four right-handed participants scoring above 75 points on the Novaco Anger Scale were included. Baseline EEG signals were recorded for eight minutes using a 32-channel cap under comfortable conditions. Anger was induced through a nine-minute sequence of Articulated Thoughts in Simulated Situations (ATSS) task. Following that, participants received acupuncture at GB20 and GB21 for 10 minutes. Fast Fourier transform was employed for frequency analysis, and repeated measure ANOVA was conducted for statistical analysis. The results revealed that participants exhibited significantly higher FAA (p = 0.026), particularly in the left hemisphere, after the ATSS task sequence compared to the baseline. During acupuncture treatment, the greater left-sided FAA was significantly reduced (p = 0.027) and reversed. Upon the cessation of acupuncture, FAA returned to a value between the baseline and the anger-evoked stage (p = 0.046). The EEG results of this study revealed that anger stimulation induced an increase in left-sided FAA, which was effectively alleviated by acupuncture. This led to an immediate restoration of FAA asymmetry induced by anger. These findings suggest the potential of acupuncture as a treatment option for reducing FAA associated with anger.

Anger rumination and imagined violence as related to violent behavior before and after psychiatric hospitalization.

Anger rumination and imagined violence, in the context of anger/aggression proclivity, are examined for their direct and conjoint associations with violent behavior by psychiatric patients. A secondary analysis of data from the MacArthur Violence Risk Study was conducted with 1136 acute civil commitment patients, assessed during hospitalization and after hospital discharge. Anger/aggression proclivity was assessed with the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale hostility subscale, anger rumination was indexed using items from the Novaco Anger Scale, and imagined violence was measured with Grisso's Schedule of Imagined Violence. Violence, prehospitalization and posthospitalization, was indexed by the MacArthur project measure. Correlational analyses, mediation analyses, and moderated mediation analyses were conducted. Anger rumination significantly predicted pre- and posthospitalization violence, when controlling for age, sex, race, childhood physical abuse, and anger/aggression proclivity; and it partially mediated the relation between anger/aggression proclivity and violence. Imagined violence and anger rumination were highly inter-related. When imagined violence was added to the regression model, it was a significant predictor of prehospitalization violence; however, it did not moderate the association of anger rumination with pre- or posthospitalization violence. Anger rumination may be a mechanism through which anger activates violent behavior, which has important implications for psychotherapeutic intervention targeting. Future research should investigate the association between anger rumination and imagined violence, with attention given to revenge planning as a link.

Anger: Examining Anger Variations and their Effects

Anger is one of the simplest and primary emotions felt by human beings but this emotion can single-handedly give rise to various negative emotions like frustration, aggression, irritation, sadness, grief and pain. Anger, being the root cause of all these negative emotions, makes a very interesting topic to study. Here, we have tried to look into anger and its variations that can be expressed in the form of several emotions like mild irritation, annoyance, reduced tolerance level, frustration, full-blown tantrum etc. One hundred and eighty-two (N=182) individuals were studied from the Indian population belonging to different religions and sects. This data was collected via descriptive google forms. The Novaco Anger Scale (NAS) was used as the questionnaire. From this sample, we concluded that majority of the responders ranked towards the lower half of the anger scale regardless of age, sex and religion they belonged to.

An Exploratory Study to Assess the Aggression and Loneliness amongst College Going Indian Youth

The present study aims to assess aggression and loneliness amongst college going Indian youth. An ex-post facto design was employed. Data was collected from first year undergraduate college going students n=103) which included both males (n1=42) and females (n2=61) from various regions of India. The participants’ responses were recorded on two scales, Novaco Anger Scale and Provocation Inventory (Novaco, 2003) for assessing the cognitive, behavioral, physiological, regulatory aspects of aggression and situation-specific anger intensity, and Revised UCLA (Russel, Peplau and Cutrona,1980) for estimating the level of loneliness using google forms. A correlational method was used to compute the degree and direction of relationship between the two variables of aggression and loneliness. A moderate, significant and inverse relationship was obtained for loneliness with anger, anger regulation and provocation for females. While, for males a moderate, significant and inverse relationship was estimated for loneliness with anger and provocation. A test for significance (t-test) was employed to assess the significance of the means obtained for females and males. The results obtained indicated a significant gender difference on the dimension of anger regulation. The results obtained also showed a significant difference in anger intensity on provocation for females and males. Substantiating the obtained results with researches, it was inferred that difference may be attributed to gender role orientation and prevailing culture-specific norms. The present study has numerous limitations such as lack of generalizability due to limited representativeness and small sample size. Future implications of the study may include initiating aggression management interventions for the participants who have scored high on aggression.

The Relationship Between Anger and Aggression among Drug-Dependent Males

Anger and anger regulation problems that result in aggressive behavior pose a serious problem for society. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the relationship between anger and aggression among drug-dependent males. Besides, this study also aims to investigate the differences between anger and aggression based on marital status and ethnicity. A total of 184 drug-dependent males from a drug rehabilitation center were involved in this study. The drug-dependent males were randomly selected to answer the questionnaire. The Novaco Anger Scale (NAS) was used to measure anger and anger regulation, while the Aggression Questionnaire (AQ) was used to measure aggression. Data were analyzed using Pearson's correlation, t-test, and one-way ANOVA. The results revealed that there was a positive relationship between anger and aggression. There was also a negative relationship between anger regulation and aggression. Next, a negative relationship existed between anger regulation and anger aggression subscale, physical aggression subscale and hostility aggression subscale. In addition, there were significant differences in anger aggression and physical aggression subscales between married and unmarried drug-dependents. Nevertheless, there were no differences in anger, anger regulation, aggression, and the four subscales of aggression- anger aggression, physical aggression, hostility aggression and verbal aggression among ethnic groups. The implication of this study will be discussed further.

Anger and depression among incarcerated male youth: Predictors of violent and nonviolent offending during adjustment to incarceration.

Anger and depression are associated with a number of psychosocial problems, and their comorbidity may exacerbate maladjustment among incarcerated youth. The present study aims to identify whether anger and its different facets (cognitive, arousal, and behavioral), either independently or when conjoined with depressed mood, affects violent and nonviolent institutional infractions. Male adolescents (14-17 years of age) were recruited within 48 hr of arrival at a juvenile detention facility and were administered psychometric measures of anger (Novaco Anger Scale) and depression (Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression scale) at baseline, 1 month, and 2 months. Offending within the facility was assessed via self-report and institutional records. Controlling for prior offending and other background factors, individuals having high anger scores were more likely to offend over the 2-month period, compared to those with lower levels of anger. Novaco Anger Scale scores, especially the Behavioral facet, predicted both official- and self-reported (violent and nonviolent) institutional offending. There was evidence for the interaction of depression and anger at baseline predicting self-reported offending at 1 month only. Given that juveniles' self-report of emotional distress, particularly anger, is predictive of their violent and nonviolent infractions, focused intervention programs could reduce behavior problems during incarceration that add to juveniles' maladjustment and continued exposure to adversities. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

The relation between temperament and anger response among prisoners: comparison of Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory and the Psychobiological Model of temperament and character

This study investigates the relation between temperament and anger response among prisoners, and compares temperament as proposed by Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory and the Psychobiological Model of Temperament and Character. We asked 210 prisoners to respond to Korean standardized questionnaires, with items of the Behavioral Inhibition System/Behavioral Approach System (BAS/BIS), and the items of Temperament and character inventory (TCI). Based on the Novaco Anger Scale, prisoners’ anger responses were rated as those of direct, indirect, verbal, or impulsive. Three factors of the BAS and BIS all demonstrated significantly positive correlations, while reward dependence and novelty-seeking from the TCI showed a correlation nearing 0. Also, higher harm avoidance of TCI was associated with lower reward dependence, lower level of persistence, and higher level of novelty-seeking of TCI. Regression analyses showed that impulsive anger reaction was significantly explained by novelty-seeking of TCI and BIS; verbal aggression by fun-seeking of BAS and novelty-seeking of TCI; physical confrontation by novelty-seeking of TCI and fun-seeking of BAS; and indirect expression by novelty-seeking, harm avoidance, and persistence of TCI and fun-seeking of BAS.

Effects of internalizing problems on quality of life among cardiac patients: mediating role of coping strategies.

To study the effects of internalising problems on quality of life among cardiac patients and to explore the mediating role of coping strategies.. The cross-sectional study was conducted at different government and private cardiac and diabetic care centres Multan, Pakistan, from September 2017 to December 2017. Quality of Life Scale, Novaco Anger Scale, Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale and Brief Cope Inventory were used to collect data. The sample of the study was taken from different government and private cardiac care centres located in Multan city of Pakistan. Of the 300 subjects, 199(66.3%) were males 101(33.7%) were females. Internalized problems were significantly negatively associated with the quality of life (p<0.01). However, coping strategies except dysfunctional focused were significantly positively associated with the quality of life (p<0.01). A significant mediating effect of emotion focused coping, problem focused coping and dysfunctional focused coping was found between internalising problems and quality of life (p<0.01). Internalised problems and coping strategies significantly influenced the quality of life among patients suffering from cardiac diseases.

The efficacy of exercise referral as an intervention for Irish male prisoners presenting with mental health symptoms

PurposeThe use of exercise as an intervention to improve health in the general population is well documented. The purpose of this paper is to explore whether an exercise referral scheme can be an effective health promotion tool for male prisoners in Ireland, presenting with mental health symptoms.Design/methodology/approachThis mixed methods study with a pre- and post-intervention design was conducted in Mountjoy Prison, Dublin, which has a capacity for approximately 790 prisoners. Reliable and validated symptom assessment scales were used to assess levels of depression, anxiety, stress, self-esteem and anger amongst a sample of 40 prisoners pre- and post-intervention. The scales used were the Depression, Anxiety and Stress scale or DASS-42 (Lovibond and Lovibond, 1995), the Novaco Anger Scale (Novaco, 1994), the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (Rosenberg, 1965) and the Zung Self-Rated Anxiety Scale (Zung, 1971). Semi-structured interviews were also conducted with a subset of the participants post-intervention to further test and contextualise the symptom ratings. The data gathered from the self-rating scales were imported into SPSS 22 for statistical testing for significance. Wilcoxon’s signed-rank test was then used to measure significance of changes. Thematic analysis was performed on the qualitative data.FindingsIn the post-intervention, significant levels of improvement were achieved in the levels of depression, anxiety (DASS), anxiety (Zung), stress, anger, and self-esteem for 29 of the 30 prisoners who completed the study. The incidence of normal mood scores rose from 33 to 90 per cent after the intervention; the incidence of extremely severe scores for anxiety changed from 40 to 7 per cent, severe stress scores changed from 27 to 3 per cent, normal stress levels rose from 17 to 73 per cent, marked anger ratings reduced from 40 to 3 per cent and low self-esteem levels reduced from 20 per cent of participants pre-intervention to 7 per cent post-intervention. In the main, participants perceived the experiences and outcomes of the intervention positively.Research limitations/implicationsThere are some limitations to the design of this study. Operational circumstances within the prison at the start of this study prevented the authors from accessing a larger sample. A control group would add greatly to the study but this was not possible within a single prison setting. The possible influence of extraneous variables such as increased attention and social contact, and more time out of one’s cell may have contributed to improved symptom scores as much as the exercise intervention in this study. This possibility was recognised from the outset but the authors proceeded because the aim was to test if an exercise referral package (and all that inevitably goes with that) would make a difference for symptomatic prisoners.Practical implicationsThe organisation and smooth running of the intervention and the positive results therein underpinned the practicality of this project. The significantly positive results contribute new knowledge to the profile of Irish male prisoners’ mental health.Social implicationsThis study could be the foundation for a larger study or set of studies which should include a control group and one or more female prisoner cohorts. The impact of positive changes in prisoners’ mental health on the prison staff and environment could also be researched. This type of study could lead to important social implications in relation to its impact on prisoner rehabilitation.Originality/valueThis study was the first of its kind to explore the effectiveness of exercise referral as a health promotion intervention for Irish male prisoners presenting with mental health symptoms.

Turkish adaptation and validation of Spielberger’s State Anger Subscale

The purpose of this study was to investigate the psychometric properties of the Turkish version of the State Anger Subscale of Spielberger using a sample of Turkish undergraduate students aged 18 to 31 years. The scale’s reliability and validity were assessed by examining its internal consistency, factor analytic structure, concurrent, and construct validity. Supporting the validity of the scale, one factor structure underlying the original form was replicated. A statistically significant relation between the State Trait Anger Expression Inventory and the Novaco Anger Scale was also found. Regarding construct validity, an experimental manipulation using anger induction and imagination revealed a significant difference between experimental and control group. Overall, the findings indicate that the State Anger Subscale is a reliable and valid assessment tool for research and clinical practice to identify angry people in Turkey. Keywords: State anger, anger expression, adaptation, STAXI, emotions

Case Studies of Media Personnel

This is a case study excerpt from my Ph.D. thesis entitled “Comparative Study of Psychological Traits in Media Personnel”. The present study covered two forms of Media: the old media and new media with an intention to study the psychological traits as Well Being, Personality, Stress and Anger in Old Media Personnel and New Media personnel. The 10% of the total sample size (120) was taken as a case study research. The desired tests were distributed to the media personnel as PGI General Well Being Scale, NEO FFI Personality Inventory, Stress Scale, NOVACO Anger Scale, followed by the personal interview of 12 media personnel (6 old media personnel and 6 new media personnel).

Validation of the Novaco Anger Scale-Provocation Inventory (Danish) With Nonclinical, Clinical, and Offender Samples.

Anger has high prevalence in clinical and forensic settings, and it is associated with aggressive behavior and ward atmosphere on psychiatric units. Dysregulated anger is a clinical problem in Danish mental health care systems, but no anger assessment instruments have been validated in Danish. Because the Novaco Anger Scale and Provocation Inventory (NAS-PI) has been extensively validated with different clinical populations and lends itself to clinical case formulation, it was selected for translation and evaluation in the present multistudy project. Psychometric properties of the NAS-PI were investigated with samples of 477 nonclinical, 250 clinical, 167 male prisoner, and 64 male forensic participants. Anger prevalence and its relationship with other anger measures, anxiety/depression, and aggression were examined. NAS-PI was found to have high reliability, concurrent validity, and discriminant validity, and its scores discriminated the samples. High scores in the offender group demonstrated the feasibility of obtaining self-report assessments of anger with this population. Retrospective and prospective validity of the NAS were tested with the forensic patient sample regarding physically aggressive behavior in hospital. Regression analyses showed that higher scores on NAS increase the risk of having acted aggressively in the past and of acting aggressively in the future.

Anger Management among Medical Undergraduate Students and Its Impact on Their Mental Health and Curricular Activities

Background. This study was intended to determine the practice of students in good anger management skills and to what extent their anger can affect their studies, work, and social interactions. In this study the relationship between anger management and the effects on the mental health of medical students was evaluated. A survey was also done to determine duration of the feeling of anger which lasts among medical students and its consequences.Materials and Methods. A newly developed questionnaire was utilized which included a simplified version of the Novaco Anger Scale and Provocation Inventory and the modified Patient Health Questionnaire 9 (to measure the mental health).Results. The data suggests that although students with high anger tendencies display poor mental health, there is no lowering of the mental health/PHQ-9 score as the anger management technique’s effectiveness rises. “Friends” was cited as the major triggering factor for anger, whereby the feelings can last for up to a day and somewhat affect their concentration on normal activities.Conclusion. When anger is suppressed and not let out, it can be an underlying factor for anxiety and depression. Therefore, more emphasis needs to be placed on educating students on how to manage their anger especially in a stressful environment away from home.

Comparing the psychological characteristics of un-apprehended firesetters and non-firesetters living in the UK

ABSTRACTDeliberate firesetting research predominantly focuses on apprehended populations. In contrast, this paper focuses on the prevalence and characteristics of un-apprehended firesetters living in the UK. Social media was utilized to recruit 232 participants for an online questionnaire. Two hundred and twenty-five people answered a question relating to deliberate firesetting. Forty participants (17.78%) indicated that they had ignited a deliberate fire and were classified as un-apprehended firesetters. Firesetting was most common in childhood and adolescence. Relative to non-firesetters, un-apprehended deliberate firesetters were more likely to report; a diagnoses of a psychiatric illness, a diagnosis of a behavioural problem, having been suspended from school, a history of suicide attempts, experimenting with fire before the age of 10 years old, and having a family member who also ignited a deliberate fire. Un-apprehended firesetters also scored significantly higher compared to non-firesetters on the Fire Setting Scale and the Fire Proclivity Scale [Gannon, T. A., & Barrowcliffe, E. R. (2012). Firesetting in the general population: The development and validation of the Fire Setting and Fire Proclivity Scales. Legal and Criminological Psychology, 17(1), 105–122], the Fire Interest Rating Scale [Murphy, G. H., & Clare, I. C. H. (1996). Analysis of motivation in people with mild learning disabilities (mental handicap) who set fires. Psychology, Crime & Law, 2(3), 153–164], the Novaco Anger Scale and Provocation Inventory [Novaco, R. W. (2003). The Novaco Anger Scale and Provocation Inventory: NAS-PI. Los Angeles, CA: Western Psychological Services], the Boredom Proneness Scale – Short Form [Vodanovich, S. J., Wallace, J. C., & Kass, S. J. (2005). A confirmatory approach to the factor structure of the Boredom Proneness Scale: Evidence for a two-factor short form. Journal of Personality Assessment, 85(3), 295–303], and the Measure of Criminal Attitudes and Associates Scale [Mills, J. F., & Kroner, D. G. (1999). Measures of criminal attitudes and associates: User guide. Unpublished instrument and user guide].

Underreporting of anger in men on probation

ABSTRACTSelf-reports of anger in men and women who were self-referred or mandated for anger management were examined. Mandated and self-referred anger management clients completed the Novaco Anger Scale and Provocation Inventory. Probationers, overall, reported significantly less anger and more anger control than nonprobationers. Men did not report significantly less anger and more anger control than women. Significant differences among groups were largely accounted for by low reports of anger and high reports of anger control in men on probation. The authors highlight the underreporting of anger in male probationers and discuss treatment recommendations.

Terrorism, Death Anxiety and Anger; A Comparison of Police and Shopkeepers

&#x0D; &#x0D; &#x0D; The present study was designed to find the association between terrorism catastrophizing, death anxiety and anger among police and shopkeepers. The total sample comprised of two hundred and seventy six (N=276) subjects, including one hundred and thirty five (n=135) police personnel and one hundred and forty one (n=141) shopkeepers using convenient sampling technique. The age range was 24 to 60 years. Terrorism catastrophizing scale, death anxiety scale, and Novaco anger scale were used for data collection. Both groups were individually interviewed and were contacted through proper channel. Association between terrorism catastrophizing, death anxiety and anger was investigated among police personnel and shopkeepers. Comparison was made between police personnel and shopkeepers regarding terrorism catastrophizing, death anxiety and anger. Results revealed that there was no significant difference between the scores of shopkeepers and police personnel on terrorism catastrophizing and anger, however police personnel showed slightly higher scores on death anxiety as compared to shopkeepers. Simple linear regression of the data revealed terrorism catasrophizing as a predictor of death anxiety among police personnel and shopkeepers. Significant negative association between anger and terrorism catastrophizing among police personnel predicts controlled fear at the time of crises and steadfastness in fighting spirit. Findings suggests that police is as vulnerable to consequences of traumatic events as any other individual or professional, yet police of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is determined in taking risks as shown in negative association between anger and terrorism catestrophizing.&#x0D; &#x0D; &#x0D;

A Field Study of a Comprehensive Violence Risk Assessment Battery

We used archival data to examine the predictive validity of a prerelease violence risk assessment battery over 6 years at a forensic hospital ( N = 230, 100% male, 63.0% African American, 34.3% Caucasian). Examining “real-world” forensic decision making is important for illuminating potential areas for improvement. The battery included the Historical-Clinical-Risk Management–20, Psychopathy Checklist–Revised, Schedule of Imagined Violence, and Novaco Anger Scale and Provocation Inventory. Three outcome “recidivism” variables included contact violence, contact and threatened violence, and any reason for hospital return. Results indicated measures of general violence risk and psychopathy were highly correlated but weakly associated with reports of imagined violence and a measure of anger. Measures of imagined violence and anger were correlated with one another. Unexpectedly, Receiver Operating Characteristic curve analyses revealed that none of the scales or subscales predicted recidivism better than chance. Multiple regression indicated the battery failed to account for recidivism outcomes. We conclude by discussing three possible explanations, including timing of assessments, controlled versus field studies, and recidivism base rates.

학교 기반 정신건강증진 및 학교폭력 예방 프로그램 단기적 실시의 효과에 대한 예비연구

Results:The social skills training program improved the 'helping' behaviors in boys (t=-2.355, p<.05) and 'sharing' (t=-3.223, p<.01), 'cooperation' (t=-2.235, p<.05), and 'comforting' (t=-2.830, p<.01) behaviors in girls, assessed using the Prosocial Be- havior Questionnaire. The mental health awareness program improved 'general health awareness' (t=2.620, p<.05), measured using the Korean General Health Questionnaire. The school bullying prevention program resulted in decreased 'self esteem' (t=3.769, p<.01), measured using the Self Esteem Scale and decreased 'anger' (t=4.198, p<.01), assessed using the Novaco Anger Scale. Conclusion:The results of our preliminary analysis suggest that school-based mental health awareness and school bullying prevention programs may be effective even when conducted for a short term. Future investigation is necessary in order to vali- date the long term effects of these programs.

The German Translation of the Novaco Anger Scale and Provocation Inventory (Ger - NAS-PI)

Anger has become one of the most widely studied emotions in the psychological literature. In order to accurately assess individual differences in emotions, validated and reliable measures must be incorporated to compare findings across studies. One of the most widely used anger scales is the Novaco Anger Scale—Provocation Inventory (NAS-PI; Novaco 2003). This project examined a new translation of the NAS-PI into the German language (Ger - NAS-PI). To validate the new German translation of the NAS-PI in German and U.S. samples. In two samples of undergraduate students, U.S. and German, internal consistency, subscale correlations, convergent validity, discriminant validity, and predictive validity were all analyzed. For both ethnic groups, all coefficient alphas exceeded .70 for the major subscales (NAS-PI), and correlations between the subscales were strong for both groups within each measure and with measures of convergent and discriminant validity. In predicting PI scores and Aggression Questionnaire (AQ; Buss & Perry 1992) scores, there was no evidence of intercept invariance for the AQ across the two national groups and limited evidence of slope invariance. Results suggest that the new translation is appropriate for use with German samples, but the concept of anger in German population may need further evaluation.

Facets of anger, childhood sexual victimization, and gender as predictors of suicide attempts by psychiatric patients after hospital discharge.

Models of suicidal behavior that assess the interplay of multiple risk factors are needed to better identify at-risk individuals during periods of elevated risk, including following psychiatric hospitalization. This study investigated contributions of facets of anger, gender, and sexual victimization to risk for suicide attempts after hospital discharge. Psychiatric patients (N = 748; ages 18-40; 44% female) recruited from 3 inpatient facilities were assessed during hospitalization and every 10 weeks during the year following discharge as part of the MacArthur Violence Risk Assessment Study. Multiple logistic regression models with facets of anger (disposition toward physiological arousal, hostile cognitions, and angry behavior) from the Novaco Anger Scale (Novaco, 1994), gender, and childhood sexual victimization history were used to predict suicide attempts in the year following hospital discharge. Facets of anger differentially predicted suicide attempts as a function of gender and sexual victimization history, over and above the variance accounted for by symptoms of depression, anxiety, and recent suicide attempts. In men, greater disposition toward angry behavior predicted an overall greater likelihood of a suicide attempt in the year following hospital discharge, particularly among men with childhood sexual victimization. In women with a history of childhood sexual victimization, physiological arousal predicted suicide attempts. Results indicate that facets of anger are relevant predictors of suicide attempts following hospital discharge for psychiatric patients with a history of childhood sexual victimization. Further, results suggest that incorporating gender and victimization history into models of risk for suicide can help clarify relationships between anger and self-directed violence.