EFFECTIVENESS OF DIALECTICAL BEHAVIOUR THERAPY AND SOCIAL SKILLS TRAINING IN MANAGING PHYSICAL AGGRESSION AMONG ADOLESCENT STUDENTS IN OGUN STATE

Abstract

Aggression, which could be verbal or physical is a harsh behaviour committed purposely, often caused by extreme anger. Adolescents with physical aggression often perpetrate physical harm towards others, withdrawal from school activities and may lead to future antisocial behaviour. Therefore, this study sought to examine the effectiveness of Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) and Social Skills Training (SST) in managing physical aggression among adolescent students in Ogun State, Nigeria. The research design adopted for the study was the quasi-experimental pre-test, post-test control group design. A sample of 94 delinquent adolescents consisting of 47 males and 47 females were randomly selected for the study using the multi-stage sampling procedure. The instruments used to obtain relevant data for the study were the Subtypes of Antisocial Behaviour (STAB) and Buss- Perry Aggression Questionnaire (BPAQ). Data collected were analyzed using Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) at 0.05 level of significance. The study revealed that DBT and SST significantly reduced physical aggression among delinquent adolescent students. Also, the study found out that the experimental conditions have no significant effect on the post-test mean scores of physical aggression due to gender. One of the recommendations was that DBT and SST should be used in the management of physical aggression among adolescents.