Research Article

Behavioral and psychological expression of anger and anger management in adolescents

Adölesanlarda öfkenin davranışsal, psikolojik ifadesi ve öfke yönetimi

Authors

Özden Erdem, Saime Erol, Betül Karaca, Neriman Ergüven
  • Özden Erdem Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University image/svg+xml https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7150-1676

    Özden Erdem was born in 1985 in Gelibolu, Çanakkale, Türkiye. She completed her primary, secondary, and high school education in Gelibolu and graduated from the Nursing Program of Gülhane Military Medical Academy (GATA) in 2007. Between 2007 and 2015, she served as an operating room, emergency, and clinical nurse as well as an education nurse in various military hospitals.

    In 2012, she completed her master’s degree at Atatürk University with the thesis entitled “The Effect of Oral Care with Royal Jelly on the Mucositis Levels of Adult Patients Receiving Chemotherapy.” In 2014, she received the first prize for oral presentation at the 7th Turkish Armed Forces Nursing Congress. Between 2014 and 2021, she pursued her PhD at Marmara University, completing her dissertation titled “The Effect of a Transtheoretical Model-Based Health Promotion Program on Safe Bicycle Use Behavior in Adolescents.” During this period, she also presented award-winning studies on violence, adolescent health, and community nursing.

    Since 2016, she has been working as a faculty member at the Department of Public Health Nursing at Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University. She also served as a research assistant at Marmara University Department of Public Health Nursing under Article 35 assignment.

    Her research interests include behavior change, health promotion, anger, adolescent health, safe bicycle use, accident and injury prevention, school health, faith community nursing, home care, oral mucositis, and violence. She has strengthened her academic expertise through coursework and certifications in epidemiology, qualitative research, psychodrama, bioethics, family counseling, and related fields.

  • Saime Erol Marmara University image/svg+xml https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7752-605X
  • Betül Karaca Hitit University Erol Olçok Education and Research Hospital https://orcid.org/0009-0005-5719-0647
  • Neriman Ergüven İstanbul Eğitim ve Araştırma Hastanesi image/svg+xml https://orcid.org/0009-0005-9250-0807
https://doi.org/10.64684/jicah.128

Aim: This study aimed to examine the behavioral and psychological expression of anger and anger management strategies among adolescents

Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted in five high schools in Istanbul. The population included 3,471 students, with a sample of 910 students. Data were collected using a diagnostic form and a questionnaire assessing anger expression and management. Descriptive statistics and chi-square analysis were used for evaluation. The study was completed with a 99% confidence level and a margin of error of 3.67%. Informed consent was obtained in writing from the study participants and their legal representatives prior to their inclusion in the study. Data were collected by the researchers through face-to-face interviews. The following instruments were used for data collection: the Sociodemographic Characteristics Questionnaire, the Anger Behavioral Expression Styles Questionnaire, the Anger Psychological Expression Styles Questionnaire, and the Anger Management Styles Questionnaire.

Results: Findings showed that 46.3% of adolescents experienced anger at least once a month, 21% felt hostility when angry, and 25.5% were most angered by being mocked. Behaviorally, adolescents expressed anger by withdrawing from the environment (66.3%), stating their anger (60.8%), and redirecting attention to other activities (53.7%). Psychologically, 67.7% expected an apology, 62.2% felt hurt, and 54.8% felt terrible. In anger management, 68% used self-calming techniques, 66.2% perceived the other person as problematic to relieve stress, and 62.1% solved problems rationally with self-confidence. Gender differences were notable: males more often used self-calming, physical force, or swear words, whereas females preferred deep breathing, crying, or withdrawal (p < .05).

Conclusion: Anger is prevalent among adolescents and can lead to aggression and violence. Males were found to be less effective at managing anger, often attempting self-regulation but then engaging in harmful behaviours. Effective anger management strategies, gender-specific interventions and family involvement are critical to promoting adolescents' emotional well-being and preventing negative outcomes.

Amaç: Bu çalışma, adölesanlarda öfkenin davranışsal, psikolojik ifadesi ve öfkenin yönetim şeklini belirlemek amacı ile yapıldı.

Yöntem: Kesitsel türde yapılan araştırma İstanbul ilinde yer alan beş lisede yürütüldü. Araştırmanın evrenini lisede okuyan 3471 lise öğrencisi, örneklemini 910 öğrenci oluşturdu. Araştırma %99 güven aralığında %3,67 hata ile tamamlandı. Araştırmaya katılan bireylerden ve yasal temsilcilerinden yazılı bilgilendirilmiş onam alındı. Veriler araştırmacılar tarafından yüz yüze görüşme yöntemi ile toplandı. Verilerin toplanmasında Sosyodemografik Özellikleri Tanılama Formu, Öfkenin Davranışsal İfade Şekilleri Anketi, Öfkenin Psikolojik İfade Şekilleri Anketi, Öfkenin Yönetim Şekilleri Anketi kullanıldı. Verilerin değerlendirilmesinde tanımlayıcı istatistikler ve ki-kare analizi kullanıldı.

Bulgular: Adölesanların %46,3’ünün ayda en az birkez öfke yaşadıklarını, %21’inin öfkelendiğine karşı düşmanlık hissettikleri ve %25,5’inin en çok alay edilmesine karşı öfkelendikleri bulundu. Adölesanların öfkelerini davranışsal olarak %66,3’ünün ortamdan uzaklaşma, %60,8’inin kızgın olduğunu söyleme, %53,7’sinin ilgisini başka aktiviteye yönlendirme şeklinde ifade ettikleri belirlendi. Psikolojik olarak nasıl hissettikleri incelendiğinde; %67,7’sinin özür bekledikleri, %62,2’sinin incinmiş ve %54,8’inin berbat hissettikleri bulundu. Öfke yönetiminde adölesanların %68’inin kendi kendini sakinleştirdikleri, %66,2’sinin karşısındaki kişiyi sorunlu görerek kendilerini rahatlattıkları ve %62,1’inin kendine güvenerek problemi akıl yolu ile çözdükleri bulundu. Öfke yönetiminde erkeklerin kendini sakinleştirme, kadınların ise daha çok derin nefes alma yöntemlerini kullandıkları, öfkelendiklerine ve çevredeki nesnelere karşı fiziksel güç uygulayanların ve argo kelimeler kullananların erkekler, ağlayan ve ortamdan uzaklaşanların ise kadınlar olduğu bulundu (p<.05).

Sonuç: Adölesanlarda öfkenin yaygın olarak görüldüğü, saldırganlık ve şiddet gibi olumsuz sonuçlara yol açtığı, özellikle erkeklerin etkili yöntemleri kullanmadıkları ve öfkelerini kontrol edemedikleri, kendi kendilerini iyileştirmeye çalıştıkları ancak zarar verici davranışlar içerisinde oldukları belirlendi.

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Erdem, Özden, Erol, S. ., Karaca, B., & Ergüven, N. . (2025). Behavioral and psychological expression of anger and anger management in adolescents. Journal of Infant, Child and Adolescent Health, 5(3), 190-203. https://doi.org/10.64684/jicah.128

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Article Information

  • Article Type Research Article
  • Submitted September 13, 2025
  • Accepted December 24, 2025
  • Published December 31, 2025
  • Issue Vol. 5 No. 3 (2025)
  • Section Research Article
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