Anger assessment in rural high school students.

Anger and aggression in school children are a major concern in American society today. Students with high anger levels and poor cognitive processing skills are at risk for poor relationships, underachievement in school, and health problems. This article describes characteristics of children who are at risk for high anger levels and aggression as well as those who are able to modulate their anger. Results of a survey are reported which describe levels of anger in 624 rural high school students. This sample reported lower levels of anger, compared to the normative group. Differences among the sample include higher internal anger expression in girls, higher trait anger in boys ages 15-16, and higher trait anger in girls ages 16-17. Recommendations are made for future research and specific steps that school nurses can take.