Effects of assertion training on aggressive behavior of adolescents.

VioLit summary: OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this article by Lee et al. was to examine the effects of assertion training on the aggressive behavior of adolescents. METHODOLOGY: An experimental design was used in this study. In ninth-grade classes at a large vocational high school, peer rating was used to identify aggressive students. The students who were rated by their peers to be aggressive (30 total, 24 males, 6 females) were randomly assigned to three groups: assertion training, placebo, or no-treatment control group. The experimental group received 50-minute assertion training sessions once a week for 8 weeks, the placebo group received sessions about decision-making, and the control group received no contact. In the treatment group, the participants observed their own and others behavior, kept track of their assertive behaviors, reviewed their responses to particular situations, considered alternative responses to the situation, tried out the chosen response, and received feedback. To measure aggressiveness in the high school, 265 students received an overall aggression score to rate their peers. The researchers used an aggression scale ranging from 1 (low) to 5 (high) for: swearing, name-calling, threats, getting angry easily, throwing or slamming objects, and starting fights and hitting others back. Students also rated themselves on this scale for a self-rating of aggression and they completed a self-report assertiveness questionnaire, which measured their assertiveness by having them respond to various situations and interactions. The data was analyzed by comparing the aggression (self- and peer-rated) and assertion scores among the three groups. FINDINGS/DISCUSSION: Assertion training had little effect on peer-judged aggression. The experiment found that for peer-rated aggression, there were no statistically significant differences among the three groups. However, those who received the assertion training seemed to perceive themselves as somewhat less aggressive. In addition, the assertion group scored significantly higher on the assertion scale than the other two groups. The author noted that self-rated aggression correlated only marginally with peer-rated aggression. AUTHORS' RECOMMENDATIONS: The authors suggested that follow-up observation and testing could determine if there is an incubation period for the desired behavioral change of peer-rated aggressive adolescents. The authors recommended further study to explore the results that show that participants in the assertion training showed significant improvement in their ability to express socially acceptable assertive behaviors. There were problems with the use of the same self-report measure and with the use of a written report, and not real-life situations, to measure assertion improvement. (CSPV Abstract - Copyright © 1992-2007 by the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence, Institute of Behavioral Science, Regents of the University of Colorado) Juvenile Aggression Training Program Prosocial Attitudes and Behavior Social Skills Training Aggression Treatment Treatment Program Assertiveness Training Early Adolescence 09-99