State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory-2 (STAXI-2)

State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory-2, STAXI-2

State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory-2

Excerpts from the Buros Center for Testing

Review of the State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory-2
Stephen J. Freeman

DESCRIPTION
The State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory-2 (STAXI-2) is a revised and expanded version of the STAXI. Expanded from 44 to 57 items, the STAXI-2 purports to measure concisely the experience,expression, and control of anger for adolescents and adults. The inventory consists of six scales (State Anger, Trait Anger, Anger Expression-Out, Anger Expression-In, Anger Control-Out, and Anger Control-In), five subscales (State Anger/Feeling, State Anger/Verbal, State Anger/Physical, Trait Anger/Temperament, and Trait Anger/Reaction), and an Anger Expression Index. Test takers provide self-ratings in three parts of the inventory: How I feel right now (15 items), How I generally feel (10 items), and How I generally react when angry or furious (32 items). Responses are on a 4-point Likert scale.

State Anger assesses the current intensity of angry feelings, and in the STAXI-2, includes three subscales: Feeling Angry, Feeling Like Expressing Anger Verbally, and Feeling Like Expressing Anger Physically. Trait Anger reflects the general disposition of the individual to experience anger and is composed of two subscales: Anger Temperament (the disposition to experience anger without provocation) and Anger Reaction (the frequency that angry feelings are experienced with provocation). Anger Expression-Out measures how often anger is expressed outwardly. Anger Expression-In measures how often anger is experienced but not expressed (suppressed). Anger Control-Out measures the frequency of outward control exerted over anger. Anger Control-In measures how often an individual attempts to control anger by cooling off or calming down. Anger Expression Index is an overall measure of the expression and control of anger.

The STAXI-2 can be administered either individually or in group situations. Examinee responses are automatically recorded on the scoring Form HS. The manual discusses a second form, Form SP, that may be scored with an Optical Character Reader or by hand. Percentile ranks and T-scores corresponding to scale and subscale scores are provided in the Appendixes. The manual also provides a section on guidelines for interpreting high scores on both scales and subscales. Completion of the inventory requires 12 to 15 minutes. The manual recommends an experienced examiner; however, nonclinical personnel can administer and score the inventory after careful review of the manual. Interpretation, however, should be restricted to qualified professionals.

DEVELOPMENT
The development of the STAXI was the product of two decades of independent but related research programs on personality assessment by Charles D. Spielberger and his associates. The inventory was developed for two primary purposes: first, to assess components of anger for detailed evaluation of normal and abnormal personality; and second, to provide a means of measuring the contributions of various components of anger to the development of medical conditions (i.e., hypertension, coronary heart disease, and cancer). The revision and expansion of the STAXI into the STAXI-2 included three major goals: first, to develop subscales for measuring three newly identified components of State Anger; second, to revise Anger Control-Out items that more closely related to the construct; third, to construct a new scale measuring the control of suppressed anger. The manual provides excellent information on scale development and conceptual issues in defining constructs as well as a concise review of related literature associated with the STAXI and anger expression.

TECHNICAL
The normative sample consists of 1,900 individuals ranging in age from 16 to 63 years. Separate norms are provided for females and males in groups: 16 to 19 years, 20 to 29 years, and 30 years and older and further delineated by normal adult, psychiatric population, age, adolescents, and college students. Information on ethnicity and culture is conspicuously absent, and this greatly limits their usage and generalizibility. This deficiency was noted in both Pittenger’s (1998) and Trotter’s (2001) and Drummond’s (2001) Mental Measurements Yearbook reviews and clearly limits the potential use of this instrument in many populations.

Evidence of internal consistency reliability is provided by alpha coefficients reported for the STAXI-2 scales ranging from .73 to .95 and from .73 to .93 for the subscales. The manual provides no information on temporal stability (test-retest reliability). These additional reliability estimates could prove helpful in addressing such issues as the ephemeral experience of and the expression of anger.

The manual presents an elaborate discussion of the scale development and validation proceedings for the STAXI-2. Construct-related validity is supported by the results of factor analysis with factor loadings being reported for the scales and subscales. Unfortunately, no information is reported on the concurrent validity of the STAXI-2. However, evidence to support the validity of the STAXI abounds. The author provides extensive data (though dated) on concurrent validity of the STAXI with comparison to such instruments as the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (Hostility and Overt Hostility scales), Buss-Durkee Hostility Inventory, and the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (Psychoticism and Neuroticism). Studies showing relationships between the STAXI scale and subscale scores and elevated blood pressure and hypertension are also included. The bulk of the information on validity is dated with the studies relating to medical disorders and the expression and control of anger being more recent.

COMMENTARY
The STAXI-2 is one of the few instruments currently available to measure the various aspects of anger. The inventory is simple to administer and score. It has a clear focus that results in a high degree of face validity. The manual is clearly written and provides guidelines for interpreting high scores. The section in the manual on “Conceptual Issues and Scale Development” clearly articulates the author’s thinking on the concepts of anger expression that led to the development of the STAXI and the STAXI-2. The psychometric information, though not complete, is extensive. A shortcoming of the STAXI-2 is the lack of ethnic and racial information on the norming sample.

SUMMARY
The STAXI-2, like its predecessor, the STAXI, appears to offer what it purports and has much to offer the well-informed clinician. The inventory is the result of over two decades of research and continues to build on its excellent conceptual foundation by further defining and refining concepts relating to anger. Concerns center mainly on the normative sample and the lack of descriptive data concerning the ethnic and cultural make-up of the sample. Until this information is provided, interpretation of the test beyond the reported norms should be limited. Readers, although acknowledging the above cautions, will find the STAXI-2 a sound clinical instrument.

REVIEWER’S REFERENCES

Pittenger, D. J. (1998). [Review of the State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory, Revised Research
] In J. C. Impara & B. S. Plake (Eds.), The thirteenth mental measurements yearbook (pp. 948-949). Lincoln, NE: Buros Institute of Mental Measurements.
Drummond, R. J. (2001). [Review of the State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory.] In B. S. Plake & J. C. Impara (Eds.), The fourteenth mental measurements yearbook (pp. 1182-1183). Lincoln, NE: Buros Institute of Mental Measurements.
Trotter, S. E. (2001). [Review of the State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory.] In B. S. Plake & J. C. Impara (Eds.), The fourteenth mental measurements yearbook (pp. 1183-1184). Lincoln, NE: Buros Institute of Mental Measurements.