Anger Management Intervention and Behavioural Adjustment in Juvenile Offenders in Correctional Facilities in Oyo State

This study evaluates the effectiveness of a structured anger management intervention in improving behavioural adjustment among juvenile offenders in correctional facilities in Oyo State, South West Nigeria. Juvenile offending is associated with complex developmental histories including trauma, academic failure, peer rejection, and family dysfunction, with anger dysregulation frequently identified as a proximal risk factor for re-offending. This research employed a randomised controlled design, assigning 96 male juveniles aged 14 to 17 years from two correctional centres in Ibadan to an anger management intervention group or a treatment-as-usual control. The 10-session group-based intervention combined Cognitive Behavioural Therapy principles with social problem-solving training. Anger was assessed using the State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory-2, and behavioural adjustment using facility staff ratings on the Behaviour Assessment System for Children, Third Edition. Assessments were conducted pre-intervention, post-intervention, and at a 3-month follow-up. Results demonstrate significant post-intervention reductions in trait anger, anger expression scores, and externalising behaviour ratings for the intervention group, with gains largely maintained at follow-up. The study provides rare experimental evidence from a Nigerian juvenile justice setting and recommends that the Oyo State Ministry of Youth and Social Development mandate structured psychological interventions, staffed by trained developmental psychologists, in all juvenile correctional facilities. Keywords: anger management, juvenile offenders, behavioural adjustment, Oyo State, cognitive behavioural therapy.