Hostility management protocol and evaluation of the effectiveness of management programme

Abstract

Hostility in children is a personality characteristic which causes great concern to parents, educators and others involved in child rearing practices. Hostility affects the adolescent’s mental health and psychosocial areas such as poor academic achievement, impaired social functioning, suicide, substance abuse and violence. If a child is presenting hostile behaviour we need to explore and identify it, and provide effective intervention to manage it. Previous research studies addressed directly by interfering with the variable hostility than managing the variables associated with hostility. The present study is an attempt to identify the sychological variables associated with hostility, to develop a protocol for the management of hostility and to test the effectiveness of hostility management programme. In the present study the variables associated with hostility were enhanced through intervention programmes and it was also examined whether it had brought down the level of hostility. Through review of literature and empirical testing the researcher selected the variables associated with hostility such as assertiveness, self-esteem, perceived parenting styles (authoritative, authoritarian and permissive) and locus of control. The study was conducted in two parts, part one includes the empirical testing of selected variables associated with hostility and part two includes the protocol for the management of hostility and testing the effectiveness of hostility management programme. The method chapter includes two parts. In part one 250 Plus One students of the age group of 16 to 17 were taken. Prior appointment from the principal of the school concerned was taken to administer the instruments. The following instruments such as Muliphasic Hostility Inventory, Self-Esteem Inventory, Perceived Parenting Styles scale, Assertiveness scale, Locus of Control Questionnaire and Personal Data Sheet were distributed among the participants. The statistical technique used in this part was correlation. The result of the correlation analysis showed that the psychological factors such as assertiveness, self-esteem, perceived parenting styles (authoritative, authoritarian and permissive) and locus of control were significantly correlated with hostility. Part two covers the development of protocol for the management of hostility and testing the effectiveness of hostilitymanagement programme. From 250 participants, 30 participants were selected for the intervention programme. The intervention programmes such as assertiveness training, self-esteem enhancement, internal locus of control enhancement programme, awareness programme for adolescents to improve positive attitude of adolescents and parental counselling were provided for a period of 8 months. Feedback was collected from the participants after the intervention. Pre-test and post-test assessments were done during the intervention. The post-test was done two weeks after the intervention programme. The research design used in this study is one group pre-test post-test design. The statistical technique used in part two was paired‘t’ test and Cohen’d. The result of paired‘t’ test showed that the intervention programme had created changes in the mean scores of assertiveness, self-esteem and locus of control. In addition the feedback analysis of the participants indicated that they enjoyed the programme and it helped them to make creative changes in their life. Hence the intervention programme was successful in bringing down the level of the hostile behaviour of adolescents.