Angry? Let's talk about it!

Religiousness/Spirituality and anger management in community-dwelling older persons

Mismanaged anger is associated with adverse health outcomes. This study examined whether dimensions of religiousness/spirituality could predict healthy anger management in a sample of 82 community-dwelling older Americans. A correlational research design was employed using the Deffenbacher Anger Scale and the Brief Multidimensional Measure of Religiousness/Spirituality. Higher scores on Forgiveness, Daily Spiritual Experiences, Religiousness/Spirituality as Coping, and Self-Ranking of Religiousness/Spirituality were correlated with healthier anger management; however forgiveness was the only significant predictor in the regression analysis. Interventions to facilitate forgiveness may promote healthy anger management and minimize the adverse health effects of mismanaged anger.

Relationship of trait anger and anger expression to C-reactive protein in postmenopausal women

Coronary heart disease (CHD) is the leading cause of death for women worldwide. Chronic inflammation and risk factors, such as obesity, smoking, and high cholesterol, are well-established risk factors for CHD. Little is known, however, about the mechanisms by which psychosocial factors, such as general anger proneness (trait anger) and anger expression style, may be associated with proinflammatory processes that contribute to cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in women. Our purpose in conducting this study was to examine the relationship of trait anger and anger expression to the proinflammatory biomarker C-reactive protein (CRP). A cross-sectional between-groups design was used to determine differences in serum levels of CRP in 42 American postmenopausal women, ages 45 to 65, who scored high on the selected anger characteristics, compared with women with lower scores. We did not find differences between high anger women and low anger women in mean levels of CRP, but we did find significant inverse relationships between CRP and some anger control characteristics. Specific health-promoting anger coping behaviors could minimize the deleterious effects of inflammatory responses in postmenopausal women.

Cultural framework, anger expression, and health status in Russian immigrant women in the United States

We investigated the role of anger expression and cultural framework in predicting Russian immigrant women's physical and psychological health status. One hundred Russian immigrant women between the ages of 30 and 65 completed questionnaires assessing anger expression, cultural framework, and health status. All research questions were addressed using hierarchical regression procedures. The results are discussed in terms of implications for understanding immigration experiences of Russian women who migrate from countries that are more collectivistic and less individualistic than the United States.

Anger in the trajectory of healing from childhood maltreatment

When a girl is abused during childhood, she may not experience anger, only helplessness or numbness. Only later may the emotion of anger surface. Little is known about anger cognitions or behaviors as they occur across the years of the healing trajectory from childhood maltreatment. Data for the present secondary analysis were derived from a large narrative study of women thriving in adulthood despite childhood abuse. The purpose of this analysis was to examine the phenomenon of anger and its role in the recovery process of 6 midlife women. The 6 cases were purposefully selected because their interviews contained rich descriptions of anger experiences. Because each woman was interviewed 3 times over a 6- to 12-month period, 18 transcripts were available for in-depth examination. A typology was constructed, depicting 5 types of anger. Anger ranged from nonproductive, self-castigating behavior to empowering, righteous anger that enabled women to protect themselves from further abuse and to advocate for abused children. Study findings are relevant to extant theories of women's anger and feminist therapies.

Coping and experiential avoidance: unique or overlapping constructs?

The present study examined associations between coping as measured by the Brief COPE and experiential avoidance as measured by the AAQ-II and the role of both constructs in predicting psychological distress and well-being. Specifically, associations between experiential avoidance and other types of coping were examined, and factor analysis addressed the question of whether experiential avoidance is part of coping or a related but independent construct. Results showed that experiential avoidance loads on the same factor as other emotion-focused and avoidant types of coping. The higher people are in experiential avoidance, the more they tend to utilize these types of coping strategies. Both experiential avoidance and coping predicted psychological distress and well-being, with most variance explained by coping but some additional variance explained by experiential avoidance. ANOVAS also showed gender differences in experiential avoidance and coping approaches. Results are discussed in light of previous relevant findings and future treatment relevant implications.

Women's Anger, Aggression, and Violence

Themes of powerlessness, power, and paradox predominate in this reflection on more than 15 years of research on women's anger. Studies conducted in the United States, France, and Turkey are highlighted. These studies have negated several myths while illuminating the general rationality of women's anger: It is squarely grounded in interpersonal interactions in which people deny women power or resources, treat them unjustly, or behave irresponsibly toward them. The offenders are not strangers; rather they are their closest intimates. But few women learned healthy anger expression while growing up. Anger is a confusing and distressing emotion for women, intermingled with hurt and pain. Its complexity requires greater attention by researchers, with regard to health-promoting interventions and to cultural differences, because anger in non-Western cultures has seldom been explored.

Teaching healthy anger management

TOPIC

Teaching anger management in the community.

PURPOSE

To describe anger management and offer guidelines for assessing potential participants and teaching healthy behaviors.

SOURCES

Drawing from the literature, more than 10 years of quantitative and qualitative studies by our research team, and 5 years of experience in conducting anger management groups, the author presents basic principles of teaching anger management. A model is described for a 4-week group for women.

CONCLUSIONS

Anger management has wide applicability to a variety of constituencies for both primary and secondary prevention. Advanced practice psychiatric nurses are well-qualified to provide this psychoeducational intervention.

Women and ANGER

Through gender role socialization, women have learned to suppress anger. This leads to somatization and a denial of a sense of self. To teach women how to express anger, methods of anger acknowledgment and expression have been provided. Through the teaching of these techniques, nurses can assist women to experience a paradigm shift: from the belief that "others are responsible for meeting women's needs" to the belief that "women are personally responsible for meeting their own needs." By teaching women assertive communication, nurses can provide women with effective tools to regain control of their life experiences. The "Exercise Application" presents an example of a paradigm shift for the experience of anger.

Women's anger: relationship of suppression to blood pressure

The relationship of anger suppression to blood pressure was examined in a university sample of 210 female staff, faculty, and students 18 to 71 years of age. Most were White and in good or excellent health. The study replicated that of Goldstein et al. (1988) using their method of assessing anger frequency, intensity, and expression at work (or school) and home. With age, body mass index, family history of hypertension, and exercise controlled, higher systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure were evident when women suppressed anger at home. Women who had grown up in families that readily showed anger were more likely to do so as adults.