Volume 47, Issue 2 p. 205-214
RESEARCH ARTICLE

The impact of reappraisal skills on aggressive children

Karin Maixner-Schindel

Corresponding Author

Karin Maixner-Schindel

Department of Counseling and Human Development, Faculty of Education, Haifa University, Haifa, Israel

Correspondence Karin Maixner-Schindel, Department of Counseling and Human Development, Faculty of Education, Haifa University, Haifa, The Educational Psychology Service, Neve Yarak 4994500 Israel.

Email: Maixschin@gmail.com

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Zipora Shechtman

Zipora Shechtman

Department of Counseling and Human Development, Faculty of Education, Haifa University, Haifa, Israel

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First published: 10 December 2020
Citations: 2

Abstract

The study investigated the effects of reappraisal training on aggressive children. A pre–post–follow-up, experimental–control design was used to evaluate the impact of a small-group intervention that offered practice in reappraisal skills to 89 aggressive children (another 60 were wait-listed). Results indicate that treatment children benefitted in these skills more than their peers. Based on multiple sources of the report (child, parent, teacher), results also point to reduced aggression, anger, anxiety, and social problems, and an increase in self-regulation, all of which sustained at follow-up 7–8 months later. Finally, many outcomes were correlated with benefits in reappraisal skills. Qualitative data gleaned from the study supports these benefits and sheds light on group processes that were helpful. The findings suggest that reappraisal skills training is a useful intervention with aggressive children and can be successfully delivered in small groups.

CONFLICT OF INTERESTS

All authors declare that there are no conflict of interests.

DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT

The data that support the findings of this study are available on request from the corresponding author. The data are not publicly available due to privacy or ethical restrictions.

The full text of this article hosted at iucr.org is unavailable due to technical difficulties.