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Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2019 Feb;87(2):141-150.
doi: 10.1037/ccp0000359. Epub 2018 Dec 3.

Anger-reduction treatment reduces negative affect reactivity to daily stressors

Kathleen M McIntyre  1 , Jacqueline A Mogle  2 , Jennifer M Scodes  3 , Martina Pavlicova  4 , Peter A Shapiro  5 , Ethan E Gorenstein  1 , Felice A Tager  1 , Catherine Monk  1 , David M Almeida  6 , Richard P Sloan  1
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Anger-reduction treatment reduces negative affect reactivity to daily stressors

Kathleen M McIntyre et al. J Consult Clin Psychol. 2019 Feb.

Abstract

Objective: Negative affect (NA) reactivity to daily stressors may confer health risks over and above stress exposure, especially in chronically angry adults. This randomized controlled trial tests the hypothesis that a 12-week cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) anger-reduction treatment would decrease NA reactivity to daily stressors assessed via ambulatory diary for those in treatment, but not on a wait-list for treatment.

Method: Healthy adults (N = 158, aged 20-45 years, 53.20% women) scoring high on Spielberger's (1988) Trait Anger, a scale from the State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory, were randomly assigned to a CBT treatment or wait-list control group, and completed 24 hr of prerandomization and postintervention ecological momentary assessment (EMA) of NA intensity and stress events every 20 ± 5 min. A longitudinal model using a generalized estimating equation examined whether stressor exposure and NA reactions to momentary stressors changed from pre- to posttreatment in the CBT group.

Results: There was a significant 3-way interaction (t28 = 2.29, p = .03) between stressor, treatment group, and EMA day, indicating that NA reactivity decreased for the treatment group 1.60 points more than for the wait-list group (a 379.38% greater change in NA reactivity). NA during stressors was 1.18 points lower (a 28.42% decrease) for the treatment group at EMA Day 2 (p = .04), whereas wait-list NA during stressors nonsignificantly increased.

Conclusion: CBT to decrease chronic anger is associated with lower NA reactivity to daily stressors in this sample and could be a promising treatment to mitigate the health impact of stress in this clinical population. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

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Figures

Figure 1:
Figure 1:
CONSORT participant flow diagram
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Negative affect (NA) model adjusted means by treatment group during moments with and without reported current stressors
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Comment in

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