Abstract

Academic stress is a common psychological issue among lower secondary school students, particularly ninth graders. This study evaluated the effectiveness of an emotion regulation skills development program in reducing academic stress. A mixed-methods design was employed, including a survey of 253 students at Ly Thuong Kiet Secondary School and an intervention with four students experiencing very high academic stress. The ESSA and ERQ scales demonstrated high reliability (Cronbach’s Alpha = 0.890 and 0.888). Results indicated that students experienced relatively high academic stress (M = 3.70; SD = 0.514). After a seven-session intervention based on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Gross’s Emotion Regulation Model, and the Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) framework, academic stress decreased, cognitive reappraisal improved, and emotional suppression declined. The findings support the feasibility of the program in promoting school mental health.

Keywords: Academic stress, CBT, emotion regulation, lower secondary school students, SEL.