EFFECTIVENESS OF A BRIEF PSYCHOLOGICAL COUNSELING PROGRAM ON STRESS LEVELS AMONG RURAL HOUSEHOLD HEADS IN THAYANG SUBDISTRICT,THAYANG DISTRICT, PHETCHABURI PROVINCE

Abstract

      This study aimed to (1) examine the stress of household heads in rural communities before and after participating in a brief psychological counseling program, and (2) compare post-intervention stress levels between the experimental and control groups. A quasi-experimental research design with a two-group pretest–posttest was employed. The required sample size of 377 participants was determined using G*Power 3.1 for an independent-samples t-test with a medium effect size (0.40), power of 0.80, and a significance level of .05. Participants were selected through simple random sampling and were divided into an experimental group (n = 188) and a control group (n = 189).

      The brief psychological counseling program consisted of four core activities: self-awareness, positive thinking, relaxation techniques, and problem-solving skills. Each session lasted 45–60 minutes and was conducted over four consecutive weeks. The control group received only general health education materials. Data collection was carried out from October to November 2025 in Tha Yang Subdistrict, Tha Yang District, Phetchaburi Province. Research instruments included a general information questionnaire and the Suanprung Stress Test–20 (SPST–20), a self-report stress assessment scale. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, paired samples t-test, and independent samples t-test.

     The results showed a significant reduction in stress scores among participants in the experimental group after receiving the program (from 45.21 to 32.45; p = 0.001), while no significant change was observed in the control group (p = 0.265). Post-intervention comparison indicated that the experimental group had significantly lower stress levels than the control group (p = 0.001).

   The findings indicate that the brief psychological counseling program is effective in reducing stress among household heads in rural communities. The program can be applied in mental health promotion activities in subdistrict health-promoting hospitals and expanded as part of district- and provincial-level policies for preventing chronic stress and improvingthe quality of life among rural populations.