Effectiveness of Group Counseling with Mindful Breathing Technique in Reducing Student Anxiety

Group counseling integrated with mindful breathing significantly reduced anxiety among Indonesian high school students. In a pretest-posttest control group design with 20 students, the experimental group showed a large reduction in anxiety scores (Cohen's d=2.04), with 60% reaching the low-anxiety category after six sessions, compared to none before the intervention. The control group showed no such change. The authors conclude that this approach is an effective, accessible, and practical school-based strategy for adolescent anxiety.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Adolescent anxiety is a growing mental health concern, with prevalence reaching 3.7% in Indonesia, yet practical and effective school-based interventions remain limited. This study aims to examine the effectiveness of group counseling with the mindful breathing technique in reducing anxiety among students at SMA Model Terpadu Madani Palu. An experimental method with a Pretest-Posttest Control Group Design was employed, involving 20 students selected through purposive sampling, divided into an experimental group (n=10) and a control group (n=10). Anxiety levels were measured using the Social Anxiety Scale for Adolescents (SAS-A), comprising 18 valid items (α=0.731). Data were analyzed using Paired Sample t-tests and Mann-Whitney U tests in SPSS. Results showed a significant reduction in anxiety in the experimental group (t=6.444, p=0.000, Cohen’s d=2.04), with 60% of students reaching the low-anxiety category after six intervention sessions, compared to none prior to the intervention. The Mann-Whitney U test confirmed a significant difference between groups (p=0.000). These findings demonstrate that group counseling integrated with the mindful breathing technique is an effective, accessible, and practical strategy for reducing student anxiety in school settings.