On the Effectiveness of Emotion Regulation Training in Anger Management and Emotional Regulation Difficulties in Adolescents

Introduction- Considering the high prevalence of anger problems in adolescence and the importance of emotion regulation in this age period, this study aims to assess the effectiveness of emotional regulation training in anger management and emotion regulation difficulties in adolescents by means of body postures, breathing pattern, and facial expressions.Method- A quasi-experimental research design along with pretest-posttest and control group was employed for the conduct of this study. For this purpose, the number of 50 adolescents was selected via purposive sampling through screening based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. These participants were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups and the experimental group then received 8 sessions of emotion regulation training. In this period, the control group received the treatment unrelated to emotion regulation training. Both groups were assessed in terms of Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS) and State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory-2 (STAXI-2) before and after the treatment as well as in the three-month follow-up. The collected data were analyzed by descriptive and inferential statistics, including covariance analysis.Results- Data analysis showed that emotion regulation training has a significant effect on anger management and components emotion regulation difficulties in adolescents.Conclusion- As per the results of this study, it is recommended that emotion regulation training be extensively conducted in the form of educational and training programs for adolescents, especially in schools.