| The role of interpersonal problem-solving skills and beliefs about aggression in mediating aggressive and aggressive/delinquent behavior was studied through assessment and experimental manipulation of the variables. In the assessment phase, the interpersonal problem-solving skills of problem formulation, goal orientation, information gathering, generation of solutions, solution effectiveness, and generation of consequences, as well as beliefs about the legitimacy of aggression as a response and the consequences of aggression for self and others, were examined in nonaggressive, aggressive, and aggressive/delinquent male and female adolescents. In the treatment phase, a 12-week interpersonal problem-solving training program was implemented with the sample of aggressive/delinquent youth. To assess interpersonal problem-solving skills, subjects were exposed to two hypothetical conflict situations involving an imaginary conflict between the subject and a same-sex peer, followed by questions focused on specific interpersonal problem-solving skills; beliefs were assessed by an 18-item true/false measure. It was found that non-aggressive subjects differed significantly from both aggressive and aggressive/delinquent subjects in terms of asking for and generating more information, generating more effective solutions, and defining problems and goals in terms of object attainment (as opposed to perceived hostility). Aggressive subjects also performed significantly better than aggressive/delinquent subjects, particularly in terms of generation of information and choosing effective solutions. Looking at beliefs about aggression, non-aggressive subjects were significantly less likely than aggressive and aggressive/delinquent subjects to agree with beliefs in support of aggression. Aggressive subjects were also significantly less likely than aggressive/delinquent subjects to agree with these beliefs. In terms of sex differences, males were significantly less competent than females in several areas of interpersonal problem solving and were significantly more likely than females to agree with beliefs in support of aggression. In the treatment phase, it was found that subjects who participated in the training program showed a significant improvement in interpersonal problem-solving skills and a significant reduction in beliefs in support of aggression when compared to subjects in an attention control or no treatment control condition. |
