P ATIENTS WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA are often
deficient in a sense of reality and the
ability to bear small frustrations, and usually become
violent because of a sudden emotion. Also
the ratio of nursing staff being attacked by patients
is very high because they are in 24-hour contact
with patients (Chen, 1997; Schwartz & Park,
1999). Violent behaviors have often been found to
be caused by socially inappropriate expression and
poor control of emotion. Clinically, more attention
has been paid to self-protection than to handling
patient anger.
This research investigates the use of the anger
control group as an intervention for altering patients’
anger expression (i.e., anger out, anger in,
and anger control). The main purpose of this