1 Running head: AGGRESSION-REDUCING INTERVENTION Behavioral Outcomes for Caribbean Adolescents in an Aggression-Reducing Intervention in a Custodial Setting

Crime is a significant problem in the Caribbean, and young men are overrepresented both as victims and perpetrators of violent crime in this region. This study analyzes the effects of a pilot short-term aggression-reducing intervention similar to others such as Aggression Replacement Training. Participants were adolescent males living in a juvenile detention center in the Caribbean. The intervention aimed to teach participants to restructure potentially aggression-inducing situations into challenges to overcome by understanding the emotions of themselves and others rather than as threats. Thomas & Cain (2011) found that the intervention effectively reduced aggressive behavior; this study further analyzed these effects. There was a significant effect of the initial level of aggression such that those boys with higher aggression levels at the start of the intervention showed a significantly greater decrease in aggressive behavior, delinquent behavior, and conduct disordered behavior than boys who were lower in aggression at the beginning of the intervention. These results can inform future uses of this intervention, as well as future research on the Caribbean and its youth