Reference no: EM131123903

Annotated Bibliography of:

The impacts of the treatment approach toward aggressive behavior in children and adolescents

Melinda Fernandez

University of Maryland University College

This paper was prepared for WRTG 391 6361 Advanced Research Writing (2165), taught by Professor Mullenneaux.The impacts of the treatment approach toward aggressive behavior in children and adolescents.

Amendola, A. M., & Oliver, R. W. (2013). Aggression Replacement Training and Childhood Trauma. Reclaiming Children and Youth, 22(2), 56.

This article discusses the effects of Aggression Replacement Training (ART) to help children to manage their emotions and behaviors, especially with children who have experienced traumatic situations. The objective of the article is to educate readers of the benefits associated with this program.

The article claims that these types of trainings are composed to help children overcome traumatic experiences, but also to provide proper strategies for young people to learn how to manage emotions, and build interpersonal relationships. In their article authors Amendola and Oliver state, "This treatment model incorporates trauma sensitive interventions with cognitive behavioral and humanistic principles and strategies. Youth gain new skills to process thoughts and feelings related to traumatic life events. This fosters a sense of safety, healthy relationships, social intelligence, and positive growth", (Amendola & Oliver, 2013).

In their study the authors reference the work of Ackerman et al.1998 and Foltz et.al 2013. According to Ackerman et al.1998, PTSD traditional diagnosis fails to effectively describe the trauma among youths and children. They assert that children dependence on the adults to offer security and safety can lead to diagnostic labels potpourri and the symptoms can go beyond the descriptors of PTSD to include depression, anxiety and attention and conduct problems. Therefore, Aggression Replacement Training is essential in helping adolescents and children manage their behaviors and emotions.Foltz et.al (2013), assert that Aggression Replacement Training provides behavioral and cognitive interventions that help in building competence in moral reasoning and anger control. According to the authors adolescents and children having behavioral and emotional problems can benefit more from ART compared to other models of therapeutic.

The source will be useful as a reference to my topic; this topic strongly supports that behavior intervention programs not only help overcome emotional behaviors, but most importantly help restore self-respect, and help build respectful interpersonal relationships.

Axelrad, M. E., Butler, A. M., Dempsey, J., & Chapman, S. G. (2013). Treatment effectiveness of a brief behavioral intervention for preschool disruptive behavior. Journal of clinical psychology in medical settings, 20(3), 323-332.

This study investigated the short-term effects of pre-to-post behavioral short-term and long-term training: The Brief Behavioral Intervention (BBI). This program was intended to be placed with preschool children ranging from the ages of 2 to 6.65 years demonstrating disruptive behaviors. The overall objective of the study is to help children reduce disruptive behaviors and withdrawn behaviors with the ideal goal of improving social-emotional skills.

The article shares that BBI program consists of 5 core sessions, each focused on a specific behavioral management skill that would also provide strategies the program identified as being the most beneficial towards children, such as parent management training. The article follows the study properly according to the participants' parents' contribution towards each step of the program; therefore, the article also mentions that parents who dropped out of the intervention reported higher child attention problems, in contrast to children who completed the program demonstrating improving measures.

The aim of the study was examining the post-treatment outcomes of the Brief Behavioral Intervention. The study was conducted for one year and involved 120 children aged between 2-6.5 years that portrayed disruptive behavior. The study recorded significant decreases in disruptive behavior among the children. Also, there was significant decrease in parent stress from Pre-to Post Intervention.
Overall this article supports the topic, proving that programs that are intended to approach aggressive behaviors in children and adolescents continue to be effective with children and families.

Blake, C. S., & Hamrin, V. (2007). Current approaches to the assessment and management of anger and aggression in youth: A review. Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Nursing, 20(4), 209-221.

The article consists of the review of current approaches utilize to help treat anger and aggressive behaviors in youth. The article also mainly focuses on the primary objective of the different approaches such as to help children and adolescents receive the appropriate services to help them overcome anger struggles, and aggressive behaviors. The article review also highlights the importance of each program for anger and aggression in youth such as: Relaxation and Social Skills Training, Multicomponent Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, Program for School-Age Children, Program for Delinquent Adolescents, Family-Based Interventions.

The article review then goes on to also provides the reader with the outcome findings of the article review. Stating that "They found that skills his finding suggests that "more behavioral" techniques (e.g., skills development and multimodal treatments) may be more effective than treatments that attempt to modify internal constructs related to the targeted behaviors", (Blake & Hamrin, 2007). The authors composed the article review with the purpose of providing reviews of contemporary evidence-based treatments for anger and aggression in youth, and to demonstrate the importance of addressing anger and aggression with the proper treatments and programs. Notably, the results of the study indicate that skills-based and cognitive-behavioral approaches can help foster the development of prosocial and adaptive behavior to children.

Overall this article will be utilized to support the main topic: The need of behavior services to approach defiant behaviors in children and adolescents.

Ebesutani, C., Kim, E., & Young, J. (2014). The role of violence exposure and negative affect in understanding child and adolescent aggression. Child Psychiatry & Human Development, 45(6), 736-745.

The article illustrates the study of the emotional and damaging outcomes of the exposure to violent behaviors that eventually start causing the development of defiant, aggressive, and psychological destructions in children and adolescents. The research goes on to state the following, "Aggressive behavior in youth is a serious problem that is in need of attention to better understand its contributing risk factors and pathways to development," (Ebesutani, Kim & Young, (2014). The main objective of this article is to highlight the importance of understanding of the various factors and developmental pathways of aggression, by doing so; it will support the prevention of initiating aggressive behaviors in children and adolescents.

The study involved 1999 youths aged between 7-17 years who were referred to a psychiatric residential facility, and sought to examine the NA contribution and the violence exposure to the youth's aggressive behaviors development. The study found that violence exposure and NA predicted the youth's aggressive behavior.

The study found that "Nonetheless, the present findings support a line of research that has important implications related to the identification, prevention and treatment of this national problem of aggression." This article is composed with valuable information that illustrates common factors that initiate the development of aggressive behaviors in children and adolescents.
This article will be used as a reference to my research paper mainly because it focuses on how emotions and behaviors can negatively influence aggressive behaviors that will ultimately require treatment to help decrease such behaviors.

Kelsberg, G., & St Anna, L. (2006). What are effective treatments for oppositional defiant behaviors in adolescents?. Clinical Inquiries, 2006 (MU).

The article discusses the effective treatments for oppositional defiant behaviors in adolescents. The article mentions how adolescents will usually engage in some dangerous risk taking behaviors in a time period that that needs to be diagnosed during a timely matter. The authors mention in their article that the affected adolescent will have a difficult time at home when the parents have little or no social support from parents, as well as limited coping skills.

The article goes on to point out that even though there is no real official effective treatment for oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), there studies of treatments practice with younger children that have been diagnosed with ODD with more severe disruptive behavior problems. This article is also focused on a case study that was done over a two year span that resulted of 158 self-referred families that had young adolescents that were diagnosed with ODD. This program consisted of 12 weeks with sessions of 90 minutes each; the study was conducted with families with children with no diagnosis of ODD but still had the same visual signs. The purpose was to help the families engage in family problem solving skills that dealt with dealing with behavioral interventions that targeted negative engagements.

Another study was conducted that concluded that around half to around two-thirds of adolescents that had ODD were also showing symptoms of ADHD. This article can be considered for the source towards the main topic due to the fact that it discusses that even though there is no certain treatment for some disorders; other approaches can be always be considered to help provide proper strategies to manage the defiant behaviors in children and adolescents.

Kennedy, R. E., & Davidson, C. (2012). Cognitive-behavioral approaches to the modification of aggressive behavior in children. School Psychology Review, Vol 11(1), Pp. 47-55.

Authors Kennedy and Davidson composed this article with the objective of educating readers about the pros and cons of cognitive-behavioral approaches compared to non-cognitive behavioral interventions. The article begins by explaining the main focus on cognitive behavioral approaches, Kennedy and Davidson point out that the focus of these services is to help children learn strategies through short-term intervention programs with the objective of preparing children to manage frustrating emotions on their own, as well preparing parents with strategies to help manage triggers or situations that provoke aggressive behaviors in children.

In the article the authors also point out that age and settings are main factors that play a role in the overall progress of children and adolescents with aggressive behaviors. "Cognitive-behavioral interventions with young children have produced some short-term reductions in aggressive behavior in the classroom but little evidence of long-term change. Interventions with problem adolescents, however, have produced impressive evidence for generalization and maintenance of treatment effects," (Kennedy & Davidson, 2012).

On regards to the comparison to non-cognitive behavioral interventions the authors state the following, "Useful future research would involve comparisons of cognitive with non-cognitive behavioral programs as well as tests of the effectiveness of various combinations of cognitive and non-cognitive interventions," (Kennedy & Davidson, 2012). The article can be used as source for the topic due to the fact that it also points out the purpose of cognitive-behavioral approaches to help treat aggressive behaviors in children and adolescents.

Koolaee, K. A., Sabzian, M., & Tagvaee, D. (2014). Moving toward Integration : Group Dance / Movement Therapy with Children in Anger and Anxiety. Middle East Journal of Nursing MEJN, 8(4), 3-7.

The objective of this article is to study the effect of Dance/Movement Therapy (DMT) to help manage and decrease emotional struggles associated with anxiety and aggression in children. The review also discusses the method used to composed this study, the study consisted of thirty children selected from four private pre-schools, 15 children were randomly assigned to the experimental group and 15 other children were elected for the control group. During the study ten DMT sessions (each lasting one-hour) were provided to help children manage emotions associated with aggression and anxiety.

The article points out the significant results from the experimental group that was participated in DMT. "The experimental group showed lower incidence aggression and anxiety after DMT intervention", (Koolaee, Sabzian, & Tagvaee, 2014). In their article Koolaee et al, support the overall objective of the study stating dance therapy can be practice as coping skill and intervention technique to help children not only decrease aggressive behaviors, but also improve self-esteem, and self-awareness.
This article support that Dance/Movement Therapy (DMT) is a form of treatment that provides treatment towards aggressive behaviors in children and adolescents.

Priddis, L. E., Landy, S., Moroney, D., & Kane, R. (2014). An exploratory study of aggression in school-age children: Underlying factors and implications for treatment. Australian Journal of Guidance and Counselling, 24(01), 18-35.

This article investigates the study of a three-stop exploratory analytical strategy, as well as parent and child reports of various underlying factors that have been identified as predictors of aggressive child behaviors. The article goes on to point out that the study was composed of a group of 31 clinically aggressive children were identified and compared to a group of 26 non-aggressive children, ( Priddis et al., 2014). Further, the study found out that the aggressive group had a greater prevalence of symptoms internalizing including depression and anxiety and their behavior was likely to be of the unemotional type.

The aim of the study was to determine which factors contributed to most as triggers of defiant and aggressive behaviors to make proper recommendations for further treatment programs. The authors share that, "Research shows that approximately 65% of children who initially present with clinical levels of aggression in the preschool years and are still aggressive at 7 years of age, will continue to have problems into adolescence and adulthood, often becoming involved in delinquent and criminal activities," (Priddis et al., 2013).
This article is composed with supporting points toward my main topic; therefore, it will be considered to use as a reference.

Steadman, J., Boska, C., Lee, C., Lim, X. S., & Nichols, N. (2014). Using popular commercial video games in therapy with children and adolescents. Journal of Technology in Human Services, 32(3), 201-219.

The article reviews several techniques used as therapeutic applications such as video games. The article also discusses the psychological improvements therapeutic strategies have made through the use of play, and how it was helped decrease defiant and aggressive behaviors.

The article goes on indicating that since the 1980's video games have become very popular amongst the youth and young adults. "Data from a national survey published in 2008 reported that 99% of boys and 94% of girls' aged 12-17 play computer, Web, portable, or console games," (Steadman et al., 2014).

Since this study was done, it was highly recommended that clinicians to find and explore new ways to apply this kind gaming idea to psychotherapy to the youths; as a way to help promote therapeutic growth the younger generation of clients. The overall objective of the article is to provide the reader with an understanding of therapeutic strategies; through the use of positive play tools that can be used as necessary tools to help in modifying the behaviors.

Although this article was very informative it mainly fused on advantages and disadvantages of videos game use as a tool for therapeutic purposes; therefore, I will not be using it as a supportive source toward my topic.

Thoder, V. J., & Cautilli, J. D. (2011). An independent evaluation of mode deactivation therapy for juvenile offenders. International Journal of Behavioral Consultation and Therapy, 7(1), 40.

The article consists of the review of current approaches utilize to help treat anger and aggressive behaviors in juvenile offenders, such as behavioral therapy (CBT) and Mode deactivation therapy (MDT). The article reviews a study that was conducted with examines 39 adjudicated Pennsylvania males (ages ranging from 14 to 17), the juvenile offenders were required to get through several assessments to measure aggression for further treatment and support, some of assessments used for the study were the following: Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), the Youth Self-Report (YSR), the Devereux Scales of Mental Disorders (DSMD), the Fear Assessment [which is a measure of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)].

The article goes on to point out that elevated scores indicated the frequency of negative overt behaviors and symptoms. In their article Thoder and Cautilli support that these type of therapy programs in the juvenile facilities provided staff, clinicians, and practitioners with an understandable and more effective way of building relationships, managing behavior, and increasing safety among adolescents with conduct difficulties.

Useful data was used in the study indicating that the overall results prove that approaches and treatments in retention facilities are also very important to help decrease defiant and aggressive behaviors.

Watson, H. (2006). Review of Parent management training: Treatment for oppositional, aggressive, and antisocial behavior in children and adolescents. Australia : Australian Academic Press, Vol 23(4), Pp. 278-280.

The article discusses the main highlights of the book: Parent Management Training: Treatment for Oppositional, Aggressive, and Antisocial Behavior in Children and Adolescents by Alan E. Kazdin (2005) Author Hunna Watson mentions in her article several important approaches for oppositional and conduct disorders and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder mentioned in the book such as proper ways to implement proper behavior management treatments, and therapeutic treatments.

The review also mentions important strategies parents and providers can successfully apply, but most importantly how to keep the consistency to show proper progress when supporting concerning behaviors in children and adolescents. The article author goes on to share that "The result is a comprehensive, practical, and very readable resource that would be of benefit to experience as well as early-career practitioners working with the families of young people with disruptive behavior problems," (Watson,2006).

This article will also be used as a resource toward my writing a literature review; the article not only promotes the book but also mentions the importance of proper approach towards treatment for oppositional, aggressive, and antisocial behavior in children and adolescents.

Wilkes, T. C., & Nixon, M. K. (2015). Pharmacological Treatment of Child and Adolescent Disruptive Behaviour Disorders: Between the Scylla and Charybdis, What Do the Data Say? The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, Vol. 60(Issue 2), P39-41. 3p.

The article is based on the study of the Canadian pharmacological treatment towards disruptive behavior disorders such as attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), Oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), and Conduct disorder (CD). The objective of this article is to illustrate the investigation of the outcomes of pharmacological treatments that are commonly prescribed to treat disruptive behavior disorders with insufficient psychological evaluations.

In their article authors Wilkes and Nixon, support that goes on to support the following, "Careful assessment and reassessment of diagnoses, and treatment management and monitoring, in children and youth are required, recognizing their developing central nervous system, with the standard bio-psychosocial assessment as a means to conceptualize the diagnostic and treatment framework," (Wilkes & Nixon, 2015). The article then goes on to focus on the main purpose of any intervention put in place as treatment for children and adolescents with disruptive behaviors disorders, which is to promote appropriate a healthy healing process that will improve the physical, emotional, and social development condition in children and adolescents with disruptive behavior disorders.

This article is also an interesting source to consider toward my topic due to the fact that pharmacological treatments continues to be one of the most common forms of treatment towards disruptive and aggressive behaviors.