ANGRY ADOLESCENTS WHO WORRY ABOUT BECOMING VIOLENT.

Silver, Marcia E. ; Field, Tiffany M. ; Sanders, Christopher E. 等

ABSTRACT

In the present study, 31 of 89 adolescents responded affirmatively to the following statement: "Sometimes I get so angry that I worry I will become violent." These adolescents (the anger group) were compared with the nonanger group, and several differences were found. The anger group (1) reported less intimacy with parents, received less support from them, and was less close to siblings; (2) had more opposite-sex friends, dated more frequently, and more frequently had a boyfriend or girlfriend; (3) had a lower grade point average; (4) were more depressed; and (5) used marijuana more frequently. Results of a regression analysis revealed that depression and dating were the only significant predictors of anger, explaining 17% of the variance.

Adolescent violence is a serious problem in the United States (DuRant, Getts, Cadenhead, & Woods, 1995; Valois & McKewon, 1998). Our understanding of the characteristics of adolescents at risk for violence, including their peer and parent relations, depressive tendencies, and suicidal thoughts, is incomplete (Anderman & Kimweli, 1997; Flannery, Singer, Williams, & Castro, 1998). Further research is therefore needed, although a knowledge base is beginning to accumulate.

Depression and suicidal thoughts have been noted among aggressive adolescents (Adams, Overholser, & Lehnert, 1994; Hurd, Wooding, & Noller, 1999; Kaslow, Deering, & Racusin, 1994; Shiner & Marmorstein, 1998). Anger is another critical factor (Lehnert, Overholser, & Spirito, 1994). Anger, whether internalized or externalized, has been found to be related to reduced impulse control and increased suicidal tendencies (Lehnert et al., 1994). Both depression and internalized anger, in turn, have been found to be predictive of a self-reported wish to die (Boergers, Spirito, & Donaldson, 1998; Gjerde & Westenberg, 1998; Grosz, Lipschitz, Eldar, & Finkelstein, 1994).

According to Grosz et al. (1994), violent adolescents are impulsive, attempt suicide more often than do nonviolent adolescents, and are at greater risk for committing suicide. As would be expected, adolescents who attempt or succeed at suicide are usually severely depressed. Anger and depression are thought to be sufficiently associated with suicidal and violent behavior that they can serve as warning signs (Boergers et al., 1998; Gjerde & Westenberg, 1998; Hurd et al., 1999).

Poor communication between adolescents and their parents is associated with self-harming behavior and depression (Hurd et al., 1999; Tulloch, Blizzard, & Pinkus, 1997). Further, adolescent aggressive behavior is associated with family and peer relationships (Rowe, Almeida, & Jacobson, 1999). Although adolescent-peer relations and antisocial behavior are strongly linked (Kazdin, 1993), this connection often depends on the nature of the relationship with parents (Gold & Yanof, 1985; Romig & Bakken, 1992). Relationships that are less than ideal set the stage for adolescents to choose peers who are prone to disruptive behavior. This choice often results in lower academic achievement and school failure (Patterson, DeBaryshe, & Ramsey, 1989).

The present study investigated adolescents who thought their anger could lead to violence. It was thought that adolescents who were worried about their anger turning into violence would have less optimal relations with their parents and more depressive symptoms and suicidal thoughts.

METHOD

Participants

Eighty-nine seniors (37 males and 52 females) were recruited from a suburban Florida high school. Their ethnic distribution was as follows: 76% Caucasian, 11% Hispanic, 5% Asian, 3% African-American, and 5% other. The participants were, on average, of middle to upper middle socioeconomic status (mean = 3.9 on the Hollingshead Two-Factor Index).

Measures

Participants completed a 181-item Likert-type questionnaire that gathered information on multiple behavioral and psychological aspects of adolescent life. The questionnaires were completed anonymously within a 45-minute time frame in a school assembly room.

Anger/potential violence. The independent variable was anger/potential violence. Participants were divided into anger and nonanger groups based on a yes/no response to one statement: "Sometimes I get so angry that I worry I will become violent."

Family relationships. Relationship with family was assessed in three areas: intimacy with parents, family support, and closeness with siblings. These variables were measured using four-point Likert scales.

Friends. There were three friendship variables: having predominantly opposite-sex friends, frequent dating, and having a boyfriend or girlfriend (yes/no responses).

Grade point average. Participants indicated their grade point average on a four-point scale.

Depression. Participants were administered the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D; Radloff, 1977). Scores on the CES-D can range from 0 to 60, with a cutoff score of 16 indicating depression. The CES-D has been standardized for high school populations (Radloff, 1991) and has adequate test-retest reliability, internal consistency, and concurrent validity (Schoenbach, Kaplan, Wagner, Grimson, & Miller, 1983; Wells, Klerman, & Deykin, 1987).

Drug use (marijuana). Participants were asked about marijuana use (yes/no response).

RESULTS

Chi-square analyses performed on gender, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status indicated that the anger group (n = 31) and the nonanger group (n = 58) did not differ on these demographic factors. Independent t tests were then conducted to compare the two groups on each variable (see Table 1). The analyses revealed the following for the anger group: (1) less intimacy with parents, (2) less family support, (3) less closeness with siblings, (4) more opposite-sex friends, (5) more frequent dating, (6) more frequently having a boyfriend or girlfriend, (7) lower grade point average, (8) higher depression scale scores, and (9) more frequent marijuana use.

Stepwise regression analysis was subsequently conducted (see Table 2). Only two variables significantly contributed to the variance: depression (CES-D score), 9%; and dating, 8%. Thus, depression and dating predicted anger, but explained a total of only 17% of the variance.

DISCUSSION

Intimacy with parents has been found to facilitate the well-being of adolescents (Field et al., 1995; Richardson et al., 1984) and to be inversely related to adolescents' involvement with opposite-sex friends (Field et al., 1995). In the present study, angry adolescents seemed to experience less intimacy with their parents and siblings and more involvement with opposite-sex friends, including dating and having a boyfriend or girlfriend. One possible explanation is that adolescents who have poor family relationships become angry and turn to their opposite-sex friends for support.

The lower grade point average for the anger group was not surprising, given their lower level of family support, their higher level of depression, and their greater use of marijuana. All of these factors have been found to contribute to lower academic performance.

The findings confirm that adolescents who indicate that anger is a serious problem for them have a number of familial, emotional, and academic problems. Further, the expression of anger is of concern because of its associations with suicide (Lehnert et al., 1994) and violence (Grosz et al., 1994).

Nevertheless, this study highlights the importance of additional research. Only two variables, depression and dating, predicted anger (explaining less than a fifth of the variance), and other factors must be investigated so that at-risk adolescents can be identified with greater precision.

The authors would like to thank the students who participated in this study, as well as Christy Cullen, Angelica Escalona, and Michelle Kaplan for assisting with data collection. This research was supported by an NIMH Senior Research Scientist Award (MH00331) to Tiffany Field and funding from Johnson and Johnson.

Marcia E. Silver, Tiffany M. Field, Christopher E. Sanders, and Miguel Diego, Touch Research Institutes.

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 Mean Scores, Standard Deviations, and
 Significant Group Differences
 Anger Group Nonanger Group
 (n = 31) (n = 58)
Variables M (SD) M (SD) t
Intimacy with Parents 14.31 (3.70) 15.96 (3.01) 2.25 [*]
Family Support 2.90 (1.35) 3.53 (1.14) 2.30 [*]
Closeness with Siblings 3.16 (1.13) 3.64 (0.85) 2.24 [*]
Opposite-Sex Friends 2.16 (1.02) 2.68 (0.98) -2.33 [*]
Dating 2.00 (1.00) 1.56 (0.73) -2.29 [*]
Boyfriend/Girlfriend 1.52 (0.51) 1.79 (0.45) 2.65 [**]
Grade Point Average 2.74 (1.21) 3.24 (0.76) 2.39 [**]
Depression 28.33 (12.43) 21.86 (10.80) -2.40 [**]
Drug Use 2.77 (1.33) 2.19 (0.98) -2.35 [*]
(*.)p [less than] .05
(**.)p [less than] .01
 Stepwise Regression on Correlated Variables
Variable R [R.sup.2] F P
Depression .293 .086 6.019 .017
Dating .415 .172 6.542 .003