Effect of Expressive Writing Therapy on Work-Related Stress, Job Satisfaction, and Positive and Negative Affect among Senior High School Teachers

This study investigated how Expressive Writing Therapy influences workrelated stress, job satisfaction, and both positive and negative emotions among senior high school teachers. Forty-five teachers volunteered and were matched on demographic characteristics before being randomly assigned to the experimental or control group. Participants completed the Work Stress Questionnaire (WSQ), Job Satisfaction Survey (JSS), and Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) at pretest and at a twoweek post-intervention. Data were analyzed using paired-samples t-tests for within-group comparisons and independent-samples t-tests for betweengroup posttest comparisons, with Cohen’s d used to estimate effect sizes. Within the experimental group, Expressive Writing Therapy was associated with a significant reduction in work-related stress (t(24) = 2.22, p = 0.036, d = 0.44), indicating a moderate effect. Positive Affect increased significantly from pretest to posttest (t(24) = 3.31, p = 0.003, d = 0.66), while Negative Affect significantly decreased (t(24) = 2.98, p = 0.007, d = 0.60), reflecting meaningful improvements in affective well-being. Although job satisfaction showed a slight increase following the intervention, the change did not reach statistical significance (t(24) = 1.60, p = 0.123, d = 0.32). The control group showed no significant pretest–posttest changes across all variables. Between-group comparisons of posttest scores revealed a significant difference in Positive Affect, favoring the experimental group (t(43) = 3.83, p < .001). Differences in negative affect, job satisfaction, and work-related stress were not statistically significant. Findings suggest that Expressive Writing Therapy is effective in enhancing teachers’ emotional well-being, particularly by increasing positive affect and reducing negative affect, while producing modest improvements in work-related stress. These results support the use of Expressive Writing Therapy as a cost-effective, accessible, and evidence-based psychological intervention that may promote emotional resilience and well-being among senior high school teachers in educational settings. Keywords: Emotional Well-Being, Expressive Writing Therapy, Job Satisfaction, Work-Related Stress, Teachers’ Resiliency