Psychoeducation on Emotion Regulation as an Effort to Prevent Aggressiveness in Adolescents at State Junior High School "X"

Adolescence is a critical period characterized by emotional and social changes that can lead to positive and negative behaviors, including aggression. This study aimed to explore the effectiveness of emotion regulation psychoeducation in reducing aggressive behavior in junior high school students. Using a pre-experimental design with a one-group pretest-posttest approach, 25 participants aged 12-13 years were assessed using the Aggression Questionnaire (AQ) before and after the intervention. The psychoeducation program focused on building awareness and skills to manage emotions, which involved adapting individual and group sessions. Results showed a significant reduction in aggression scores, as evidenced by the Wilcoxon Signed Ranks Test, with all participants showing lower post-test scores (Z = -4.376, p= 0.000 < 0.05). Qualitative observations indicated increased self-control in physical and verbal aggression, although minor verbal incidents still occurred. These findings highlight the critical role of targeted interventions in addressing adolescent aggression, emphasizing collaboration between schools, families, and students. This study concludes that psychoeducation on emotion regulation is an effective strategy to promote the development of positive behavior and reduce aggressive tendencies. Further research involving larger samples and diverse settings is recommended to increase generalisability.