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Anger Management Lessons Decrease Aggression In Kids CHICAGO -- May 27, 1997 -- The widely used violence prevention program known as Second Step appears to lead to a moderate decrease in physically aggressive behavior among second and third graders, according to an article in this week's issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). David C. Grossman, M..D., M.P.H., from the University of Washington in Seattle, and colleagues studied 790 second- and third-grade students at 12 elementary schools in King County, Washington. Fifty-three percent of the students were male; 79 percent were white. The schools were matched in pairs, based on school district, minority enrollment, and the proportion of students receiving free or reduced-cost school lunches. The children were divided into intervention and control groups. The intervention group was taught the Second Step curriculum. The children were evaluated by parents and teachers for aggressive and prosocial behavior changes at two weeks and six months after the curriculum. A random subsample of 588 students were also rated by trained observers -- who were not told of the study’s purpose -- in the classroom, on the playground and in cafeteria settings. "Observed physically aggressive behavior decreased significantly more and neutral/prosocial behavior increased significantly more among children receiving the curriculum compared with children in the control group," the researchers found. Parents and teachers noticed little change in the children's behavior; however, the trained observers -- who were not told the study's purpose -- noticed significant changes in behavior on the playground and in the cafeteria. "While teacher reports may be based primarily on classroom observations of children, the direct observations were conducted by blinded observers in multiple settings, including the classroom, playground and cafeteria,” the researchers suggest.”Teachers may be less aware of aggressive episodes outside the classroom ..." The study’s authors point out that the study could not determine whether improved behavior was transferred to the home setting. Children in the Second Step curriculum had 30 lessons, each about 35 minutes, taught once or twice a week. Lessons focused on three areas: 1) Empathy training, in which students identified their own feelings and those of others. 2) Impulse control, in which students were presented a problem-solving strategy and behavioral skills. 3) Anger management, in which students were presented a coping strategy and behavioral skills for tense situations. The researchers conclude, " ... this violence prevention curriculum appears to lead to modest reductions in levels of aggressive behavior and increases in neutral/prosocial behavior in school among second and third graders.” “Though these results are encouraging,” they add, “such interventions may need to be accompanied by other interventions in early childhood and adolescence to further reduce aggressive behavior." Applying Science to Violence Prevention In an accompanying editorial in this week's JAMA, Mark L. Rosenberg, M.D., M.P.P., and colleagues from the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Ga.., explain why the study by Grossman and colleagues is important. "At 22 students per classroom and six school hours per day,” they write, “the changes amount to about 30 fewer acts of negative physical behavior and more than 800 more acts of neutral/prosocial behavior per class every day. Teachers across the country would welcome such modest changes." "Safer homes, safer schools, and safer communities are possible,” they conclude. “As far as our children are concerned, leaving violence at its current level is something we cannot afford to do." The study by Grossman and colleagues was supported by a grant from the National Center for Injury Control and Prevention. E-mail this page to a friend or colleague! To print, use this version