Contemporary study: Howells et al Flashcards
What are the aims of Howells et al?
Is anger management more effective than no treatment in producing change?
To investigate whether offender characteristics can help predict the effectiveness of the treatment
Who were the sample in Howells et al study?
418 Male Offenders referred to anger management programmes in Australia at either prison or community probation equivalents.
Variety of ethnic background (White Australian/ White New Zealand/ Aboriginal/ Islanders)
Most (73%) had never completed an anger management programme before.
Participants were split into 2 broad groups (those that received anger management and those who were waiting to receive it)
What was the method for Howells et al study?
The anger management programme lasted over 20 hours across 10 sessions.
It used a cognitive behavioural approach that included structured exercises like identifying triggers, relaxation techniques, cognitive restructuring and relapse prevention.
Success was measured through:
Questionnaires (the Spielberger State-Trait Anger Expression inventory – STAXI and the Novaco Anger Scale (NAS-PI) for anger intensity, expression, control and effectiveness in dealing with anger.
Prison staff’s observational measures.
What were the findings of Howells et al?
Prisoners showed little improvement immediately after intervention (no significant difference between the group that had the treatment and those waiting for it)
This became significantly different after 2 months, but then the effect was not seen after 6 months.
But the anger management group had better knowledge of their own anger.
The biggest improvement were in prisoners who had the most intense anger at the start (this is predictive validity).
There was a positive correlation between ‘readiness’ and ‘progress’ - prisoners who stated at the start of the research that they were ‘ready to change’ were better suited to the programme.
What is the conclusions of Howells et al study?
Anger management seems to benefit offenders who have the biggest difficulties controlling their anger.
It also benefits offenders who are motivated and want to make a positive change in their life.
Overall however, the impact of anger management programmes was small and any improvements shown was not always maintained months later.
Evaluate the generalisability using a high and low point
(Howells)
P - High
E - 418 ppts is a large sample
E - Generalisable to wider population
P - Low
E - Only used men
E - Sample is androcentric and so not representative of females
Evaluate the reliability of Howells et al using a high and low point?
P - High
E - Standardised programme that involves 10 two hour sessions with focus on identifying triggers
E - Can be replicated easily to test for consistency as all programmes were delivered the same way
P - Low
E - Control group showed similar improvements as treatment group
E - Questions reliability of whether treatment works and so may be ineffective
What are the applications for Howells et al study?
Showed that there were no significant differences pre and post treatment however those who were motivated to change showed greatest improvement
Therefore this could be useful to inform those designing the programmes about the importance of treatment readiness
Evaluate the validity of Howells et al study using a high and low point?
P - High
E - Range of scales like WAKS and STRS to measure things such as aggressive traits, the intensity, and motivation to change
E - This means that data is rich in qualitative and quantitative forms
P - Low
E - Uses self-report data such as ppts stating their understanding of how to deal with aggression effectively in the WAKS scale
E - This data will be open to social desirability as many want to look better than they are because some may have been forced onto the programme
