JOURNAL OF Mental Health Concerns
Vol. 5 No. 3 (2026): June Edition 2026

Expressive writing therapy for academic stress among twelfth-grade students

Nurhasanah Nurhasanah (Jurusan Keperawatan, Poltekkes Kemenkes Banten)
Osep Yasier Almunsiri (Jurusan Keperawatan, Poltekkes Kemenkes Banten)
Lailatul Fadilah (Jurusan Keperawatan, Poltekkes Kemenkes Banten)
Cucuk Kunang Sari (Jurusan Keperawatan, Poltekkes Kemenkes Banten)



Article Info

Publish Date
24 Jun 2026

Abstract

Background: Grade XII students are in the transitional phase of late adolescence, making them vulnerable to severe psychosocial pressure. A dense curriculum, final exam preparation, and intense competition for university entrance selection trigger academic stress. Expressive Writing Therapy (EWT) is an effective independent complementary nursing intervention for managing emotional pressure, utilizing expressive writing to release mental burdens and facilitate cognitive restructuring. Purpose: To identify the effect of expressive writing therapy on reducing academic stress levels in grade xii students. Method: A quantitative research method with a quasi-experimental approach using a one-group pretest-posttest design. Purposive sampling was used to select a sample of 36 Grade XII students. The research instrument was an adapted version of the Educational Stress Scale for Adolescents (ESSA) questionnaire. Bivariate data analysis was performed using the non-parametric Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Test. Results: Statistical analysis showed that the mean academic stress score before the intervention (pre-test) was 53.83, which significantly decreased to 35.56 after the intervention (post-test), yielding a p-value of 0.00. Conclusion: There is a meaningful and significant effect of Expressive Writing Therapy on reducing academic stress levels among Grade XII students.  Keywords: Academic Stress; Expressive Writing Therapy; Late Adolescence.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

mhc

Publisher

Subject

Health Professions Nursing Public Health

Description

Jurnal penelitian dibidang kesehatan jiwa meliputi kegiatan promotif, preventif, kuratif dan rehabilitatif pada semua tingkat usia baik secara individu, maupun kelompok rentan. Penelitian kesehatan jiwa susuai tren ...