Anger By Any Other Name: Sampling the Domain

The purpose of this paper is to introduce some of the conceptual and theoretical issues surrounding the measure of anger in the elderly, to present a brief data-based case from an Alzheimer caregiving study, and to provide recommendations for measuring the anger variable. The limited research available suggests that Spielberger’s updated State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory 2 (STAXI-2) is a good choice for clinicians and researchers, because it has a strong conceptual basis. The STAXI-2 has normative data for a variety of age groups, and includes representative anger terms found in interview data with elderly individuals. Additional recommendations are provided.