Journaling Technique to Form Positive Behaviors in Adolescents

Adolescence is an important period for the formation of health behaviors. However, data showed that more than 20% of adolescents in Indonesia ever carried out risky behaviors towards their health. The majority of risky behaviors include smoking, drinking alcohol, having premarital sex and drug abuse. The aim of the study was to determine the effectiveness of journaling technique interventions (writing journals) for the formation of positive behaviors of adolescents. The method used was quasi-experimental and a time series design for 3 months. The study was conducted from March to May 2022. The research subjects were grouped in one intervention group which consisted of 78 eleventh graders of senior high school. The results of the study showed that journaling technique can effectively help adolescents form more positive new behaviors with a p value < 0.001. More positive behaviors of adolescents influence on the decrease of risky behaviors. This research can be a reference for developing further research related to adolescent behavior problems.