Teen Anger Management: How Exercise Helps

8/10/2009

Teen anger management. What oh what to do about it? Well, for starters, make sure they EXERCISE.

A team of researchers at the Georgia School of Medicine conducted a study that was published in the Pediatric Exercise Science, a professional journal dedicated to increasing understanding of exercise during childhood. What they found was that aerobic activity seemed to have a significant impact on anger management for kids and teens.

The research focused on a structured aerobic exercise program as it related to anger expression in healthy overweight kids. The scientists looked at 208 usually sedentary 7- to 11-year-olds who took part in a 10-15 week after-school aerobic exercise program.

The subjects, overweight but otherwise healthy, were randomly assigned to an aerobic exercise program or instructed to maintain their normal inactive routine. Surveys were also taken on anger expression at the start and end of the testing using the Pediatric Anger Expression Scale that gauges common expressions of anger like slamming doors and hitting.

The researchers found that the Anger Out and Anger Expression scores were lower for the aerobic exercise group at the end of the testing period.

"Exercise had a significant impact on anger expression in children," said Dr. Catherine Davis, a clinical health psychologist in the Medical College of Georgia School of Medicine.

"This finding indicates that aerobic exercise may be an effective strategy to help overweight kids reduce anger expression and aggressive behavior."

Supported by a five year $3.6 million grant by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, Dr. Davis is looking to see if this exercise finding holds for a similar group of kids who are being studied for the impact of exercise.

Scientists want to be sure the exercise, and not other things like participation in a special after-school problem, caused the improvement in the anger scores. Changes in their routine, time with parents and away from fight-provoking siblings, violent TV and video games could also have had a positive impact on anger management for kids.

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