Today's adolescents are living in violent times. The impending war with Iraq, the events of September 11, 2001, and the nations high terror alert prey upon adolescents' coping. The three leading causes of death among adolescents: injuries, homicide, and suicide, all have one thing in common, anger. Unattended anger often leads to violence, a pervasive problem among our nation's teens. An escalation in violence such as that seen in the tragedies at Columbine, Jonesboro, and other rural communities has made instituting coping strategies among this population essential. This project, Teaching Kids to Cope with Anger (TKC-A) is a school based behavioral intervention that addresses anger as a potential signal that may lead to problem behaviors in youth, especially those who live in rural areas for whom access to support is limited. One in six rural families live in poverty; high unemployment, bioterrorism, and other economic pressures put stress on teens, leading to increased risk for anxiety, depression, alcohol and substance use, delinquency, school failure, poor relations with peers, and loss of self esteem. It is no surprise; therefore, that youth who reside in rural areas are susceptible to anger management difficulties, which are compounded by a lack of access to mental health services that are typical of their communities. The goal of this study is to provide an intervention targeting anger as a factor that contributes to high-risk behavior for youth living in rural areas. TKC-A consists of eight one-hour interactive sessions that are led by a trained group leader. Coping skills are taught and practiced through role-playing, group projects, discussions, brainstorming, and handouts. The TKC-A targets freshman, sophomore, and junior level students who attend rural high schools in Southwestern Pennsylvania.
Specific aims are to (1) describe anger experience, anger expression and its potential correlates (depressive symptoms, coping strategies, perceived social support, drug use, self-esteem, optimism, anxiety, life events, disciplinary actions, and demographic characteristics; (2) examine the relationship between anger and its potential correlates; and (3) evaluate the effect of the intervention. The intervention reduces a health disparity by providing a service for rural youth.
| Puskar, Kathryn R; Grabiak, Beth R; Ren, Dianxu (2011) THE LIFE EVENTS OF ADOLESCENTS: IMPLICATIONS FOR RURAL SCHOOL NURSES. Online J Rural Nurs Health Care 11:8-16 |
| Puskar, Kathryn R; Stark, Kirsti H; Northcut, Terri et al. (2011) Teaching kids to cope with anger: peer education. J Child Health Care 15:5-13 |
| Haley, Tammy; Puskar, Kathryn; Terhorst, Lauren (2011) Psychometric properties of the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders in a rural high school population. J Child Adolesc Psychiatr Nurs 24:23-32 |
| Puskar, Kathryn; Bernardo, Lisa Marie; Fertman, Carl et al. (2009) THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN WEIGHT PERCEPTION, GENDER, AND DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS AMONG RURAL ADOLESCENTS. Online J Rural Nurs Health Care 9:23-33 |
| Puskar, Kathryn; Bernardo, Lisa Marie; Ren, Dianxu et al. (2009) Sex differences in self-reported anxiety in rural adolescents. Int J Ment Health Nurs 18:417-23 |
| Puskar, Kathryn; Grabiak, Beth R; Bernardo, Lisa Marie et al. (2009) Adolescent coping across time: implications for psychiatric mental health nurses. Issues Ment Health Nurs 30:581-6 |
| Puskar, Kathryn; Ren, Dianxu; Bernardo, Lisa Marie et al. (2008) Anger correlated with psychosocial variables in rural youth. Issues Compr Pediatr Nurs 31:71-87 |
| Puskar, Kathryn R; Grabiak, Beth R (2008) Rural adolescents'coping responses: implications for behavioral health nurses. Issues Ment Health Nurs 29:523-35 |
| Puskar, Kathryn Rose; Bernardo, Lisa Marie (2007) Mental health and academic achievement: role of school nurses. J Spec Pediatr Nurs 12:215-23 |
| Puskar, Kathryn R; Stark, Kirsti H; Fertman, Carl I et al. (2006) School Based Mental Health Promotion: Nursing Interventions for Depressive Symptoms in Rural Adolescents. Californian J Health Promot 4:13-20 |
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