Assaultive behavior intervention in the Veterans Administration: psychodynamic group psychotherapy compared to cognitive behavior therapy.
OBJECTIVE
To compare the efficacy of a psychodynamic psychotherapy group (PPG) and a cognitive-behavior group (CBG) for male veterans with a history of assault.


METHODS
Data collected included the Addiction Severity Index, the Overt Aggression Scale, and the State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory. Subjects (N = 27) were assigned randomly to a central group, PPG, or CBG. Analyses included an overall comparison of the groups as well as repeated-measures analyses and adjustments for covariates.


RESULTS
The PPG showed a trend toward improvement of overt aggression and significant improvement of trait aggression compared with CBG. There were no differences in state aggression or efforts to control aggression.


CONCLUSIONS
Both the PPG and CBG are effective treatments for aggression.
Lanza
Marilyn L
ML
Nursing Service Research, Edith Nourse Rogers Memorial Veterans Administration Hospital, Bedford, MA, USA. Marilyn.lanza@med.va.gov
Anderson
Jennifer
J
Boisvert
Charles M
CM
LeBlanc
Anne
A
Fardy
Mary
M
Steel
Barbara
B
D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy; D006801:Humans; D007297:Inpatients / Q000523:psychology; D008297:Male; D011615:Psychotherapy, Group / Q000379:methods*; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D014728:Veterans / Q000523:psychology; D014754:Violence / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000523:psychology