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CompletedNCT00486551Updated Feb 11, 2022

Anger Control Training for Youth With Tourette Syndrome

An interventional study of Anger control training in Tourette Syndrome, Chronic Tic Disorder and Oppositional Defiant Disorder, sponsored by Yale University. Completed at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 11 Years to 16 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2022-02-11.

Sponsored by Yale University · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment

Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
26
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
11 Years to 16 Years
Sex
All
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Study summary

This is a clinical study of a cognitive-behavioral therapy known as anger control training in adolescents with Tourette Syndrome and explosive, disruptive behavior. ACT is compared to treatment as usual (TAU) in a randomized clinical trial.

Read the detailed description

This is a randomized controlled study of a cognitive-behavioral, anger control training (ACT) in adolescents with Tourette Syndrome (TS) complicated by disruptive behavior. Disruptive behaviors in TS may take numerous forms including noncompliance, anger outbursts, and physical aggression. Anger outbursts in TS have been described as rage attacks or rage storms due to their high intensity and unpredictability in response to minimal provocation. Whether these behaviors are part of TS, related to comorbid conditions, or due to the burden of chronic illness is not clear. Nevertheless, these disruptive behaviors can result in significant functional impairment and often require clinical attention. The purpose of the ACT intervention is to improve the explosive and noncompliant behavior in adolescents with TS by enhancing affect regulation and social problem-solving skills. The treatment is based on anger control training which has been empirically supported for reducing aggressive behaviors and improving social functioning in aggressive youths. The primary outcome measures include the parent-rated Oppositional Defiant Scale and the Clinicians Global Improvement Score assessed by a clinician blind to treatment assignment.

02

Conditions studied

  • Tourette Syndrome
  • Chronic Tic Disorder
  • Oppositional Defiant Disorder
  • ADHD

Keywords

  • Anger control training
  • Cognitive behavioral therapy
  • Behavior therapy
  • Tourette Syndrome
  • Randomized trial
  • Anger
  • Aggression
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In context

Tourette Syndrome

225 studies on the registry are indexed under Tourette Syndrome; 36 are open to participants now.

This study's enrollment of 26 is below the median of 34 across 170 interventional studies indexed under Tourette Syndrome.

Browse Tourette Syndrome studies →

Lead sponsor

Yale University is the lead sponsor of 1,763 studies on the registry; 292 are open to participants now.

Of its 217 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 128 (59%) have results posted.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

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Who can participate

Ages eligible
11 Years to 16 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.

Inclusion criteria

  1. Boys and girls, 11 to 16 years of age.
  2. Diagnosis of Tourette syndrome (TS) or chronic tic disorder (CTD).
  3. Significant level of disruptive behavior

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Current diagnosis of Severe Major Depression, Bipolar Disorder, Pervasive Developmental Disorder, or Psychotic Disorder.
  2. Significant medical condition such as heart disease, hypertension, liver or renal failure, pulmonary disease, seizure disorder that may require more pressing treatment.
  3. Initiation or discontinuation of a psychotropic medication treatment within six weeks of enrollment in the study
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Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
Single
Enrollment
26 participants (actual)

Interventions

  • BehavioralAnger control training
06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. CGI-I assigned by clinician unaware of treatment assignment

    Time frame: three months

  2. Parent rated disruptive behavior

    Time frame: three months

07

Study locations

1 site
  • Yale University School of Medicine, Child Study Center
    New Haven, Connecticut 06520, United States
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References and documents

Publications

  • Sukhodolsky DG, Scahill L, Zhang H, Peterson BS, King RA, Lombroso PJ, Katsovich L, Findley D, Leckman JF. Disruptive behavior in children with Tourette's syndrome: association with ADHD comorbidity, tic severity, and functional impairment. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2003 Jan;42(1):98-105. doi: 10.1097/00004583-200301000-00016. PubMed 12500082 ↗
  • Sukhodolsky DG, do Rosario-Campos MC, Scahill L, Katsovich L, Pauls DL, Peterson BS, King RA, Lombroso PJ, Findley DB, Leckman JF. Adaptive, emotional, and family functioning of children with obsessive-compulsive disorder and comorbid attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Am J Psychiatry. 2005 Jun;162(6):1125-32. doi: 10.1176/appi.ajp.162.6.1125. PubMed 15930061 ↗
  • Scahill L, Erenberg G, Berlin CM Jr, Budman C, Coffey BJ, Jankovic J, Kiessling L, King RA, Kurlan R, Lang A, Mink J, Murphy T, Zinner S, Walkup J; Tourette Syndrome Association Medical Advisory Board: Practice Committee. Contemporary assessment and pharmacotherapy of Tourette syndrome. NeuroRx. 2006 Apr;3(2):192-206. doi: 10.1016/j.nurx.2006.01.009. PubMed 16554257 ↗
  • Sukhodolsky DG, Vitulano LA, Carroll DH, McGuire J, Leckman JF, Scahill L. Randomized trial of anger control training for adolescents with Tourette's syndrome and disruptive behavior. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2009 Apr;48(4):413-421. doi: 10.1097/CHI.0b013e3181985050. PubMed 19242384 ↗

Related links

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Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Feb 11, 2022, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
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Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT00486551
Lead sponsor
Yale University
Collaborators
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), Tourette Association of America
First posted
Jun 14, 2007
Start date
Aug 2001
Completion
Jan 2006
Last update
Feb 11, 2022

Study contacts

Denis G Sukhodolsky, Ph.D.
principal investigator · Yale University
Lawrence D Scahill, Ph.D.
principal investigator · Yale University

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
Yes
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

Not currently enrolling

This study is completed, as verified in Jan 2022. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

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