Initial Development and Score Validation of the Adolescent Anger Rating Scale

Abstract

The Adolescent Anger Rating Scale (AARS) was designed to (a) measure two distinct types of anger: instrumental and reactive, and (b) assist researchers and practitioners in identifying specific types of anger in adolescents. The present study investigated the construct validity of AARS scores. Seven hundred ninety-two 12-to 19-year-old adolescents in Grades 7 through 12 participated in the study. Factor analysis yielded three factors: Instrumental Anger, Reactive Anger, and Anger Control. Moderate to moderately high Cronbach alphas and test-retest reliability coefficients indicated that scores from the AARS are internally consistent and stable when measuring anger subtypes. Discriminant validity evidence supported the AARS scores’ ability to measure specific types of anger different from constructs of anger measured by the Multidimensional Anger Inventory (MAI).