Influence of reinforcement behavioral therapy and Ellis cognitive therapy on derelict children’s aggression

Background: Control of angry in effective manner is very important. In present study we compared the effect of reinforcement behavioral therapy and Ellis cognitive therapy on decreasing of aggression in derelict children aged 10 to 18 years old at hostelry care center of Welfare Organization of Kermanshah.

Methods: Fifty-seven out of 89 children (31 male, 26 female) was diagnosed as aggressive according to the AGQ results from six hostelry care center of welfare organization of Kermanshah, were selected and participated in the study. Participants allocated in to reinforcement behavioral therapy, Ellis cognitive therapy or control group randomly. Each groups received two hours therapeutic teaching for 10 sessions during 10 weeks. The control group had not been received any intervention. After 10 weeks, the posttest AGQ was performed on participant. The results of pretest and posttest were compared using T-test and ANOVA.

Results: The posttest aggression score in reinforcement behavioral therapy group was decreased significantly after intervention (P=0.011).   We didn’t find significant differences between pre and post tests aggression score in Ellis cognitive therapy (P=0.258).  Result of ANOVA show that there was no significant difference between three group after intervention (P=0.691)

Conclusion:  Reinforcement behavioral therapy and Ellis cognitive therapy did not change the aggression score in derelict children. This may relate to specific hard and stressful life of these children due to ineffectiveness of these short-term methods.