Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-94fs2 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-18T01:39:51.020Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

A Preliminary Investigation into the Influence of Therapist Experience on the Outcome of Individual Anger Interventions for People with Intellectual Disabilities

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 October 2012

John Rose*
Affiliation:
University of Birmingham, UK
*
Reprint requests to John Rose, School of Psychology, The University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK. E-mail: j.l.rose@bham.ac.uk

Abstract

Background: There is a developing literature into Anger Management interventions for people with intellectual disability. While initial reports suggest that these interventions are effective there are few evaluations examining what aspects of the therapeutic process contribute to effectiveness. Method: Individuals with an intellectual disability and anger control difficulties who were referred to community psychology services were allocated to either experienced clinical psychologists or a less experienced assistant psychologist who followed the same intervention framework. Results: Significant reductions in self-reported anger intensity were reported; however, the group who were treated by more experienced therapists reported more change and more individuals reported clinically significant change. Conclusions: While effective change was reported by both groups, these results suggest that clinical experience and training may be an important variable in determining the magnitude of change. This has implications for the design of intellectual disability mental health services.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies 2012 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Benson, B. (1992). Teaching Anger Management to Persons with Mental Retardation. University of Illinois: International Diagnostic System, Inc.Google Scholar
Benson, B. (1994). Anger management training: a self control program for people with mild mental retardation. In Bouras, N. (Ed.), Mental Health in Mental Retardation (pp. 224232). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Benson, B. and Ivins, J. (1992). Anger, depression and self-concept in adults with mental retardation. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 36, 169175.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Benson, B. A., Rice, C. J. and Miranti, S. V. (1986). Effects of anger management training with mentally retarded adults in group treatment. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 54, 728729.Google Scholar
Bower, P. and Gilbody, S. (2005). Stepped care in psychological therapies: access, effectiveness and efficiency. The British Journal of Psychiatry, 186, 1117.Google Scholar
British Psychological Society Learning (2000). Disability: definitions and contexts. Leicester: Professional Affairs Board of the British Psychological Society.Google Scholar
Burns, M., Bird, D., Leach, C. and Higgins, K. (2003). Anger management training: the effects of a structured programme on the self-reported anger experiences of forensic inpatients with learning disability. Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing, 10, 569577.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dunn, L., Dunn, L., Whetton, C. and Burley, J. (1997). British Picture Vocabulary Scale. Windsor: NFER.Google Scholar
Gardner, B. and Welford, H. (2003). Understanding Anger and How to Control It: a self help booklet. Unpublished.Google Scholar
Hassiotis, I. and Hall, I. (2008). Behavioural and cognitive-behavioural interventions for outwardly-directed aggressive behaviour in people with learning disabilities. Cochrane Database Systematic Reviews, CD003406.Google Scholar
Huppert, J., Bufka, L., Barlow, D., Gorman, J., Shear, M. K. and Woods, S. (2001). Therapists, therapist variables, and cognitive-behavioural therapy outcome in a multicenter trial for panic disorder. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 69, 747755.Google Scholar
Jacobson, N. and Truax, P. (1991). Clinical significance: a statistical approach to defining meaningful change in psychotherapy research. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 59, 1219.Google Scholar
King, N., Lancaster, N., Wynne, G., Nettleton, N. and Davies, R. (1999) Cognitive-behavioural anger management training for adults with mild intellectual disability. Scandinavian Journal of Behaviour Therapy, 28, 1922.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lindsay, W. R., Allen, R., Parry, C., Macleod, F., Cotterell, J., Overend, H., et al. (2004). Anger and aggression in people with intellectual disabilities: treatment and follow-up of consecutive referrals and a waiting list comparison. Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, 11, 255264.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rose, J. (2010). Carer reports of the efficacy of cognitive behavioral interventions for anger. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 31, 15021508.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rose, J., Loftus, M., Flint, B. and Carey, C. (2005). Factors associated with the efficacy of a group intervention for anger in people with intellectual disabilities. British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 44, 305317.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rose, J., Dodd, L. and Rose, N. (2008). Individual cognitive behavioural intervention for anger. Journal of Mental Health Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 1, 97108.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rose, J. and Gerson, D. F. (2009). Assessing anger in people with intellectual disabilities. Journal of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, 34, 116122.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rose, J. and West, C. (1999). Assessment of anger in people with intellectual disabilities. Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 12, 211224.Google Scholar
Rose, J., West, C. and Clifford, D. (2000). Anger treatment and people with learning disabilities. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 21, 171181.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sandhu, D. and Rose, J. (in press). How do therapists contribute to therapeutic change in sex offender treatment? A review of the literature. Journal of Sexual Aggression.Google Scholar
Shaw, B., Elkin, I., Yamaguchi, J., Olmsted, M., Vallis, M., Dobson, K., et al. (1999). Therapist competence ratings in relation to clinical outcome in cognitive therapy of depression. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 67, 837846CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Taylor, J., Novaco, R. W., Gillmer, B. T., Robertson, A. and Thorne, I. (2005). Individual cognitive-behavioural anger treatment for people with mild-borderline intellectual disabilities and histories of aggression: a controlled trial. British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 44, 367382.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Willner, P., Jahoda, A., Rose, J., Stenfert-Kroese, B., Hood, K., Townson, J., et al. (2011). Anger management for people with mild to moderate learning disabilities: study protocol for a multi-centre cluster randomized controlled trial of a manualized intervention delivered by day-service staff. Trials, 12, 36. (http://www.trialsjournal.com/content/12/1/36)Google Scholar
Willner, P., Jones, J., Tams, R. and Green, G. (2002). A randomised controlled trial of the efficacy of a cognitive-behavioural anger management group for adults with learning disabilities. Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 15, 224235.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Willner, P. and Tomlinson, S. (2007). Generalization of anger-coping skills from day-service to residential settings. Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 20, 553562.Google Scholar
Submit a response

Comments

No Comments have been published for this article.