Anger Control Therapy (ACT) With RAGE-Control: An Outpatient Videogame-assisted Therapy for the Treatment of Anger

Anger Control Therapy (ACT) With RAGE-Control: An Outpatient Videogame-assisted Therapy for the Treatment of Anger

The purpose of this study is to determine whether adding an interactive biofeedback video game to anger control cognitive behavioral therapy is an effective and feasible treatment.

Current treatments for pathological anger and aggression in youth are lacking in their effectiveness to motivate and engage patients in treatment. As a result, mental health providers encounter challenges due to the limited generalizability of treatment effects to real-world situations outside of the therapist's office. When behavioral treatments fail to show lasting results, children and adolescents are often placed on antipsychotic medication to control their behaviors, which may result in significant toxicity levels and for which there is limited knowledge of the long-term effects on pediatric growth and development. This study tests an interactive biofeedback video game called RAGE-Control (for Regulate and Gain Emotional-Control) as a treatment for youth exhibiting anger and aggression. Treatment with RAGE-Control seeks to motivate children and adolescents to learn and practice coping skills taught in therapy within the environment of a fun and enjoyable video game. The game provides patients a venue to practice self-regulation techniques in response to the increasing stress of the game. Providing patients with the opportunity to refine their self-regulation skills in a fast-paced challenging game is hypothesized to result in greater generalization of therapeutic skills to situations outside of the therapist's office. The goal of the treatment is to decrease patients' feelings of anger, and to increase the patients' levels of control in their emotional and behavioral responses.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Ages 10 to17 years old (inclusive).
• STAXI-CA score >15 on the Trait Anger subscales.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Inability to consent, comprehend, or effectively participate in the study.
• Cognitive impairment, defined as IQ < 75.
• Change in mood stabilizing and/or anti-psychotic medication dose within 4 weeks of beginning the study or anticipation of medication changes during the study period (10 weeks).