EFFECT OF EXPRESSIVE WRITING ON STRESS LEVELS IN FINAL-LEVEL BACHELOR OF APPLIED NURSING STUDENTS AT THE POLTEKKES KEMENKES SURABAYA
Abstract
Final-year university students often experience high academic stress due to the pressure of completing final projects, meeting deadlines, and fulfilling academic expectations, making them vulnerable to psychological distress. Preliminary observations showed that 54% of students experienced moderate stress and 46% severe stress, indicating a significant impact on mental well-being. Expressive writing, a technique that encourages individuals to express thoughts and emotions through structured writing, is known to reduce psychological tension. This study used a pre-experimental one-group pre-test post-test design with 109 final-year students selected through purposive sampling. Expressive writing was the independent variable, while stress levels were measured using the Student-Life Stress Inventory (SLSI). The intervention consisted of four sessions conducted over two weeks. Before the intervention, most students had moderate to severe stress levels. After completing the sessions, a noticeable reduction in stress was observed. Statistical analysis using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test showed a significant difference between pre- and post-intervention scores (p = 0.000; p < 0.05), confirming the effectiveness of expressive writing in reducing academic stress. These findings indicate that expressive writing helps students process emotions, improve psychological regulation, and develop healthier coping strategies. Therefore, it can be recommended as a practical, low-cost method for final-year students to manage academic stress.
References
2. A. Zalma, F. Meivilona Yendi, and L. Putriani, “Gambaran Stres Akademik pada Mahasiswa Tingkat Akhir: Analisis Aspek Biologis dan Psikososial Berdasarkan Gender,” Jurnal Inovasi Pendidikan, vol. 4, no. 4, pp. 1891–1898, Oct. 2025, doi: 10.56916/ejip.v4i4.2574.
3. Nur Ellisa Fitriani and Ida Nur Imamah, “Penerapan Expressive Writing Pada Mahasiswa Yang Menyelesaikan Tugas Akhir Dengan Tingkat Stres Di Universitas ‘Aisyiyah Surakarta,” Jurnal Ilmu Kesehatan dan Gizi, vol. 1, no. 4, pp. 102–114, Aug. 2023, doi: 10.55606/jikg.v1i4.1718.
4. G. Agung, T. Wicaksana, N. Kadek Tiya, Y. Ningsih, N. Made, and D. Wahyunadi, “Hubungan Tingkat Stres Dengan Risiko Bunuh Diri Pada Mahasiswa Tingkat Akhir,” JKJ: Persatuan Perawat Nasional Indonesia, vol. 12, no. 4, pp. 799–806, Nov. 2024.
5. E. Mei Yunalia et al., “Kecerdasan Emosional dan Mekanisme Koping Berhubungan dengan Tingkat Stres Akademik Mahasiswa,” 2021.
6. A. Siti Azizah Dalauleng and A. Ridfah, “Expressive Writing Dalam Penurunan Tingkat Stres Akademik Mahasiswa,” Jurnal Cendekia Ilmiah, vol. 3, no. 4, 2024.
7. F. Ulfa, N. Erindana, H. Fuad Nashori, M. Novvaliant, and F. Tasaufi, “Penyeusaian Diri dan Stres Akademik Mahasiswa Tahun Pertama,” 2021.
8. J. C. Benítez-Agudelo, D. Restrepo, E. Navarro-Jimenez, and V. J. Clemente-Suárez, “Longitudinal effects of stress in an academic context on psychological well-being, physiological markers, health behaviors, and academic performance in university students,” BMC Psychol., vol. 13, no. 1, Dec. 2025, doi: 10.1186/s40359-025-03041-z.
9. N. M. Hatmanti, R. Program, S. S1, and K. Unusa, “Expressive Writing Treatment Terhadap Stres Mahasiswa di Prodi S1 Keperawatan,” Jombang, 2019.
10. S. Rhamadani, F. Nur, I. Samsugito, E. Miharja, A. Nur, and A. Azis, “Penerapan Terapi Murottal Terhadap Tingkat Stres Mahasiswa Akhir Saat Penyusunan KTI di Prodi D III Keperawatan Universitas Mulawarman Samarinda,” 2023.
11. B. M. Gadzella and M. Baloglu, “Confirmatory factor analysis and internal consistency of the Student-life Stress Inventory,” Journal of Instructional Psychology, vol. 28, no. 2, pp. 84–94, 2001.
12. B. M. Gadzella, “Three Stress Groups On Their Stressors And Reaction To Stressors In Five Studies,” Psychol. Rep., vol. 94, pp. 562–564, 2004.
13. Sukarni, Putri Wulandini, and Suyanti Nunuk, “Tingkat Stres Pada Mahasiswa Tingkat Akhir di Fakultas Keguruan dan Ilmu Pendidikan Universitas X,” Jurnal Menara Medika, vol. 6, p. 171, Sep. 2023, Accessed: Sep. 29, 2025. [Online]. Available: https://jurnal.umsb.ac.id/index.php/menaramedika/article/view/4647/pdf
14. M. P. Yuda, I. Mawarti, and M. Mutmainnah, “Description of Students' Academic Stress Levels in Completing Their Final Thesis Assignments At The Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences Universitas Jambi,” Pinang Masak Nursing Journal, vol. 2, no. 1, pp. 36–41, Jun. 2023, [Online]. Available: https://online-journal.unja.ac.id/jpima
15. Taylor, Health Psychology, 10Th Edition, 10th ed. Amerika: McGraw-Hill India, 2018.
16. E. Wahyu, N. Khosim A., and T. Anggarawati, “Penerapan Terapi Expressive Writing Untuk Menurunkan Stres Pada Mahasiswa Yang Sedang Menyelesaikan Karya Tulis Ilmiah,” Jurnal Keperawatan Sisthana, vol. 7, no. 1, pp. 25–28, Feb. 2022.
17. S. Irmayanti and M. Daud, “Efektivitas Expressive Writing dalam Menurunkan Emosi Marah dan Stres Akademik Pada Siswa SMA di Kota Makassar,” Jurnal Ilmiah Multidisiplin, vol. 3, no. 5, 2024.
18. M. A. Hoyt, K. Darabos, and K. Llave, “Emotional processing, writing, and physiological stress responses: understanding constructive and unconstructive processes,” Cogn. Emot., vol. 35, no. 6, pp. 1187–1194, May 2021, doi: 10.1080/02699931.2021.1929083.
19. R. Nursolehah and R. Rahmiati, “Pengaruh Expressive Writing terhadap Penurunan Stres Akademik Mahasiswa,” Jurnal Basicedu, vol. 6, no. 4, pp. 6703–6712, May 2022, doi: 10.31004/basicedu.v6i4.3348.
20. B. Lutfi, Y. Sriyani, and W. Rahmaniati, “Pengaruh Expressive Writing Therapy Terhadap Tingkat Kecemasan Pasien Pre Operasi,” Jurnal Kesehatan Bakti Tunas Husada: Jurnal Ilmu Keperawatan, vol. 22, no. 1, pp. 15–22, Feb. 2022.
21. F. Adhriani, P. Cahyati, A. Riyana, I. Somantri, P. Kesehatan, and K. Tasikmalaya, “The Effect of Expressive Writing Therapy Combined with Self-Efficacy on Quarter Life Crisis Score of Undergraduate Applied Nursing Program Students Poltekkes Kemenkes Tasikmalaya,” Information Media, vol. 21, p. 81, 2025, [Online]. Available: https://ejurnal2.poltekkestasikmalaya.ac.id/index.php/bmi