Program Profile: Juvenile Justice Anger Management (JJAM) Treatment for Girls

Study Title: Can We Hasten Development? Effects of Treatment on Psychosocial Maturity. (which is associated with Outcome 1, Outcome 2, Outcome 3, and Outcome 4)

Research Design 

Riggs Romaine and colleagues (2018) conducted a randomized controlled trial that examined whether the Juvenile Justice Anger Management (JJAM) Treatment for Girls program improved psychosocial maturity in 57 juvenile justice system-involved females. Participants were recruited from three residential juvenile justice facilities (two in New Jersey and one in Pennsylvania). Girls were considered eligible for the study if they were between the ages of 14 and 20, had at least 90 days remaining in placement, spoke English, and did not have severe developmental, intellectual, or psychotic conditions. After obtaining consent, participants were randomly assigned to either the JJAM treatment group (n = 29) or a treatment-as-usual control group (n = 28). The JJAM group participated in 16 structured cognitive-behavioral sessions focused on emotion regulation, impulse control, and problem-solving. The treatment-as-usual control group received standard facility programming such as education, counseling, and health care services but no specialized anger management training.

Sample

The final sample included 57 girls, with 63 percent identifying as Black/African American, 11 percent as white, 3 percent as Asian, 23 percent as multiracial, and 26 percent as Hispanic. There were no statistically significant differences between the treatment and control groups at baseline in terms of demographics or outcome variables. The sample exhibited high rates of trauma, mood disorders, Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and substance use, along with below-average verbal abilities and high inattention. 

Data Collection/Outcome Measures

Outcomes that were assessed included self-reported measures of responsibility, perspective, temperance, and emotion regulation. Assessments were conducted before and after treatment using self-report measures. Responsibility was measured using the Personal Responsibility subscale of the Psychosocial Maturity Inventory (PSMI), which assesses self-reliance, work orientation, and identity. Perspective was calculated by combining scores from the Consideration of Future Consequences Scale (CFC) and the Consideration of Others subscale of the Weinberger Adjustment Inventory (WAI). Temperance was assessed using the Impulse Control and Suppression of Aggression subscales from the WAI. Emotion regulation was measured using the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (CERQ), which evaluates both adaptive and maladaptive cognitive coping strategies for managing distress.

Statistical Analysis

Analyses included ANCOVA to compare posttest scores (two weeks after completing treatment) while controlling for pretest scores, and a mixed factorial MANOVA to assess changes over time across related outcomes.  The study did not conduct subgroup analyses. 

Citation:

Riggs Romaine, Christina L., Kathleen Kemp, Christy L. Giallella, Naomi E. S. Goldstein, Jennifer Serico, and Sharon Kelley. 2018. "Can We Hasten Development? Effects of Treatment on Psychosocial Maturity." International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology 62(9):2857–76.

This study is a high-quality randomized controlled trial.

Study Title: Juvenile Justice Anger Management (JJAM) Treatment for Girls: Results of a Randomized Controlled Trial (which is associated with Outcome 5 and Outcome 6)

Research Design/Sample

Goldstein and colleagues (2018) conducted a randomized controlled trial to test the effects of the Juvenile Justice Anger Management (JJAM) Treatment for girls, using the same sample participants as was used in the evaluation by Goldstein and colleagues (2018). The girls came from two juvenile justice facilities in New Jersey and one facility in Pennsylvania. Pretest assessment occurred up to 2 weeks prior to the beginning of the treatment or control period, and posttest assessment occurred up to 2 weeks after the completion of the treatment or control period.

Outcome Measures/Data Collection

The outcomes assessed included different self-reported measures of anger and aggression. The Novaco Anger Scale and Provocation Inventory (NAS-PI) was used to assess the degree to which participants experienced anger. The NAS-PI measures arousal, anger regulation, behavioral features, and cognitive features of anger, which produces a Total Anger score. The Aggression Questionnaire (AQ) was used to assess individuals’ tendencies to behave aggressively and their abilities to inhibit aggressive behavior. Three of the AQ’s four subscales were used in this study: Anger, Physical Aggression, and Indirect Aggression (which was used to measure relational aggression for this study).

Statistical Analysis

The data was analyzed using a series of analyses of covariance with one posttest (two weeks after treatment completion) score of anger, physical aggression, or relational aggression as the dependent variable and condition (i.e., JJAM treatment condition or treatment-as-usual control condition) as the independent variable. The pretest score associated with the dependent variable was covaried in the analyses. The study authors did not conduct subgroup analyses.

Citation:

Goldstein, Naomi E. S., Christy L. Giallella, Emily Haney-Caron, Lindsey Peterson, Jennifer Serico, Kathleen Kemp, Christina Riggs Romaine, Stephen Leff, et al. 2018. "Juvenile Justice Anger Management (JJAM) Treatment for Girls: Results of a Randomized Controlled Trial." Psychological Services 15 (4):386–97.

This study is a high-quality randomized controlled trial.