| NON-DRUG APPROACH TO ADD, AGGRESSION AND OTHER BEHAVIORAL PROBLEMS | |
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Dr. Lendell Braud Texas Southern University Professor of Psychology Houston, Texas |
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| Abused males and delinquent males who are
emotionally disturbed are often placed in a
residential treatment facility for therapy. The purpose of this study
was two fold. First the authors wanted to compare Children's Protective
Service (CPS) residents to Juvenile Probation (JP) residents in order to
determine differences, which might need to be addressed in treatment
plans. Secondly, the authors wanted to evaluate the use of an
alternative therapeutic intervention (relaxation therapy) to reduce
aggression and other behavioral problems.
The authors wanted to assess the behavioral and emotional improvement of the abused males who were at the facility (N=34). These youngsters had been in group and individual therapy for a year. Their pretest and posttest scores on 21 emotional and behavioral measures were compared. However, anxiety was the only measure that showed significant improvement as a result of that therapy. Braud and Powell (1997) also found a high percentage (77%)of males with ADD in a previous study that also included this group of young male delinquents. Braud (1976) had previously used relaxation therapy to improve the behavior of hyperactive youngsters. Therefore, relaxation therapy appeared promising and was used in the following study.Four tests were administered to measure the emotional and behavioral characteristics and to assess the effectiveness of the therapeutic intervention. Pre and posttest measures were collected.The authors chose the Old Me, New Me Relaxation Program.Revised (1996). The experimental group (N=20) received 12 relaxation sessions. Each session included the presentation of the relaxation exercise tape followed by one of the story tapes. Each story tape is comprised of a guided imagery trip with soothing sound effects and music. (Beach, Star, Woods, Secret Place, etc.). The story tapes were specifically written to help youngsters cope more effectively with a variety of issues including stress, anger, aggression, frustration, impulsivity, oppositional behavior, hyperactivity and cooperation. Experimental participants (N=20) made statistical improvements as compared to controls, (N=15) on aggression, attention span and hyperactivity on the TOHASP (Appendix C). On the Modified Children's Anxiety Scale, experimental participants demonstrated significant improvement over controls on the anxiety scale, physiological scale, and the organic scale (Appendix D). The Children's Behavioral Checklist also demonstrated several areas of significant improvement of experimental participants over controls. Significance was found on the following scales: externalizing, internalizing aggression, delinquency, and other problems (Appendix E). The present study demonstrates the validity of relaxation therapy in reducing aggression and other behavior problems. This study is copyrighted by Lendell Braud, Ph.D., and Blair Powell, M.A. For reprints of the full study, write Dr. Lendell Braud, 99 Rolling Hills Dr. West, Conroe, Texas 77304. For information concerning the relaxation program, Old Me, New Me, see website www.schoolhousepublishing.com or email QB36@aol.com
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