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ABSTRACT
This study sought to contribute to the identification of effective interventions in the area of male adolescent aggressive behavior. Existing research includes both group- and single-case studies implementing treatments which typically include an anger-management component and its attendant relaxation and stress-reduction techniques. The design of this study was single-subject with multiple baselines across 6 subjects on 2 behavioral measures. The setting was a residential juvenile justice program for male adolescents, and the treatment was a relaxation breathing exercise. The results of the study were mixed, with improvement on both behavioral measures in 2 of the 6 participants.
Aggression is a focus of therapeutic interventions with adolescents already involved in the legal system and who may well be on their way to establishing intractable behavior patterns. These patterns may be carried into adulthood and likely result in criminal activity and incarceration with recidivism reported as high as 50% (Snyder & Sickmund, 1999). While not all adolescents with aggression problems will follow this developmental path, almost all incarcerated adults bring a history of delinquency and aggression with them into their troubled existence (Kazdin, Siegel, & Bass, 1992).The World Health Organization has reported violence as being a global health problem, and so, to intervene effectively in an early stage of this problem's development holds important social merit (Krug, Dahlberg, Mercy, Zwi, & Lozano, 2002).
According to Goldstein, Glick, and Gibbs (1998), the definition of aggression derives from social learning theory and, therefore, constitutes learned behavior that stems from the interaction of the individual with the environment. The development of violent conduct as reported by Nietzel, Haseman, and Lynam (1999) occurs when biological, environmental, psychological, and social factors blend in certain patterns. These definitions and origins notwithstanding, the point at which the individual responds to the stimulus, either in a deliberate or automatic fashion, contains elements that can be ameliorated regardless of the aforementioned factors and origins.
Researchers have focused on aggressive behavior among adolescents in various environments to include education (Frey, Hirschstein, & Guzzo, 2000; Deffenbacher, Lynch, Getting, & Kemper, 1996), corrections (Steiner, Garcia, & Matthews, 1997; Swenson & Kennedy, 1995), and mental health treatment settings (Margolin, Youga, & Ballou, 2002; Snyder, 1999). The authors of this study sought to contribute to efforts which identify effective...