The effect of emotion regulation focused creative writing activities on stress levels and coping skills in adolescents with specific learning disorder

This study aimed to examine the effects of creative writing activities focused on emotion regulation skills on the stress levels and coping abilities of adolescents diagnosed with Specific Learning Disorder (SLD) between the ages of 14 and 18. The study was conducted using a pretest-posttest control group experimental design, one of the quantitative research methods. The experimental and control groups consisted of eight adolescents diagnosed with SLD who attended a rehabilitation center located in the central district of Kırklareli province. As data collection tools, the Adolescent Distress-Eustress Scale was used to assess adolescents' stress levels, and the Mindful Coping Scale was employed to measure their coping skills. Due to the small sample size, nonparametric analysis methods were utilized in the study. The Mann-Whitney U test was applied to compare the pretest and posttest scores between the groups, while the Wilcoxon test was used to analyze within-group changes in the experimental and control groups. Additionally, Cohen's d statistic was calculated to determine the effect size of the program. The findings revealed statistically significant differences in adolescents' eustress levels, awareness, and distraction abilities (p<0.05). According to Cohen's d results, the differences between the experimental and control groups showed a large effect size in the Eustress and Awareness subscales (d=0.80), a moderate effect size in the Distress and Distraction subscales (d=0.50), and a small effect size in the Prevention of Negative Emotions and Self Revealing subscales (d=0.20). The study findings suggest that creative writing activities have varying degrees of effectiveness on the stress levels and coping skills of adolescents diagnosed with Specific Learning Disorder.