Reducing Stress in Adolescents through Mindfulness-Based Intervention: A Nursing Approach Supporting Emotional Regulation
Evi Supriatun (a*), Nafisah Itsna Hasni (a), Marsono (a)

(a) Nursing Department, Politeknik Negeri Indramayu, Indonesia
*evisupriatun[at]polindra.ac.id

Abstract

Stress is a major challenge for teenagers today, affecting their physical, mental, and learning health. Pressure from peers, teachers, family, and limited free time contributes to increased stress. Physical impacts include indigestion and irregularities in reproductive hormones, including the menstrual cycle. Stress also reduces focus on learning, optimism in facing problems, and motivation to achieve goals. Therefore, managing adolescent stress is an important issue relevant to developing innovative nursing practices focused on mental health. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of mindfulness-based interventions in reducing stress in adolescents, with a nursing approach that supports emotion regulation. This study used a one-group pretest-posttest design on 52 adolescent girls. Participants participated in a structured mindfulness training program for emotion regulation, consisting of 1 introductory session and 3 mindfulness practice sessions. Stress levels were measured before and after the intervention using the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) that has been validated for adolescents. Data were analyzed using paired t-tests to determine the difference in stress scores before and after the intervention. The findings revealed that the average stress score prior to the intervention was 24.6 with a standard deviation of 5.1, and it decreased to 18.3 with a standard deviation of 4.7 after the intervention. Statistical analysis using the paired t-test demonstrated a highly significant reduction in stress levels, confirming that mindfulness interventions are effective in alleviating stress among adolescent girls. Structured mindfulness practice interventions for emotion regulation have been shown to be effective in lowering stress levels in adolescent girls. This approach is relevant to nursing practices that support adolescent mental health and can be further developed as a nursing innovation for stress management in an educational setting.

Keywords: Mindfulness, Adolescent girls, Stress, Emotional regulation

Topic: Nursing Care and Technology Development