An innovative intervention for treatment of child and adolescent aggression: An outcome study

The purpose of the study was to test the effectiveness of an intervention to reduce aggressive behavior among children and adolescents. The study encompassed 70 special education students with behavioral problems in 10 schools (grades 5-9) in Israel. These students were identified by teachers as aggressive children, based on a 10-item questionnaire that referred to verbal and physical aggression. The children were randomly divided into experimental and control conditions. A short-term multidimensional program utilizing bibliotherapy and clarifying processes was introduced to the experimental students, while the control students remained in their homeroom groups. The Achenbach Self-Report and Teacher Report scales were administered to the students before and after treatment. Results indicated significant gains on both measures: The intervention was effective in promoting adjusting behavior and particularly in reducing aggression.