Differences in the Effectiveness of Gratitude Training and Emotion Regulation Training with Anxiety Facing Retirement Navy Soldier

Differences in the Effectiveness of Gratitude Training and Emotion Regulation Training with Anxiety Facing Retirement Navy Soldier

Yudhistira Arya Wiraprana., IGAA Noviekayati., Dyan Evita Santi

Professional Psychology Study Program (S2), University of 17 August 1945 Surabaya

DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.47772/IJRISS.2025.917PSY0012

Received: 06 February 2025; Accepted: 21 February 2025; Published: 22 March 2025

ABSTRACT

Retirement is often a challenging phase for individuals, especially for military personnel who have long been accustomed to certain structures, routines and responsibilities. Retirement anxiety can arise due to uncertainty related to self-identity, changes in social status, and concerns about economic stability and health. This study aims to compare the effectiveness of gratitude training and emotion regulation training to reduce the level of anxiety facing retirement in Navy soldiers at Balurjatim.  This study used a true experimental method pretest-postest with control group design. The selection of participants involved in this study has been selected through predetermined criteria so as to get 31 participants who are equal and meet the research criteria. Participants were divided into each group randomly, to be grouped into 10 participants in the gratitude training group, 10 participants in the emotion regulation training group and 11 participants in the control group (without treatment).  The intervention was carried out in 6 sessions in two meetings and monitoring was also carried out on participants after the intervention was completed. The results of the analysis showed that there was a significant difference between the gratitude training group and the emotion regulation training group in reducing anxiety facing retirement p=0.596 (p-value>0.05).

Keywords: Gratitude, Emotion Regulation, Retirement Anxiety, Training, Military Soldier

INTRODUCTION

Every career individual, including soldiers in various assignments, will eventually face retirement as part of their professional life cycle and require to quit their job at a certain age or retire (Saputra & Ella, 2016).  Honourable dismissal to soldiers in the context of retirement is a phase in which soldiers who have reached a certain age limit have been determined.  Retirement is a period when a person can feel calm because he has reached the peak point of his career at work. The retirement period is a mandatory retirement period because the organisation has set a limit on the productive age to work for each individual, without consideration of whether or not, so that individuals are forced to retire (Hurlock, 1996). Individuals no longer bear the work responsibilities given by the agency or organisation where they work, so that what is felt is a feeling of calm, relief, relaxation and relaxation.

In reality, many people are not ready for retirement. Retirement is considered a rigid old age, unproductive, sickly, dependent, unemployed and useless. According to Beverly (Hurlock, 2006), retirement is the end of someone doing their job. Retirement should make people happy and enjoy their old age, but on the contrary, sometimes retirement is often considered an unpleasant reality so that before the time comes some people already feel anxious because they don’t know what kind of life they will face later.

Retirement is perceived as a loss of social roles and status, as well as power, and as a result many people find retirement a stressful and frightening event (Santrock, 2012). Retirement is often perceived as an unpleasant reality, so people are already anxious about retirement because they do not know what kind of life they will have later (Tosman, 2009). Some people have a negative view of retirement which is why retirement is seen as a life of economic misery, boredom, poor mortality and declining health (Amune, Aidenojie & Obiyan, 2015).

The results of a survey conducted by ESQ during the retirement preparation period (ESQMPP), has conducted an ARS (Anxiety Rating Scale) survey in March 2016 to August followed by 679 respondents from 40 companies, government agencies and state-owned enterprises throughout Indonesia. The survey was conducted to find out the level of retirement anxiety and the causes of retirement anxiety of employees ahead of their retirement. The survey was conducted on employees over the age of 50, with a gap of 2 years to 1 month before retirement. The results of the survey showed that more than 63% of employees ahead of retirement felt moderate to panic anxiety, while only 37% felt mild anxiety who were actively engaged in retirement. Survey data conducted by HSBC ‘Future Of Retirement, Bridging The Gap’ (2018) on 1050 respondents consisting of active workers and retirees shows that there are three reasons for workers’ concerns in retirement, namely there are 86% of workers worried that in retirement they will run out of funds, 83% are worried that health costs will increase in retirement, 57% are worried that in retirement life will become uncomfortable depending on family or friends financially (Fauzia & Setiawan, 2019).

Based on survey results from America’s National Institute on Retirement Security (NIRS) said that the country is facing a retirement crisis with about 8 in 10 respondents (79%) agreeing that entering retirement is a crisis, anxiety is up from (67%) in 2020. In addition, more than half of respondents (55%) said they are worried about not being able to achieve financial security in retirement, while nearly three-quarters (73%) of respondents said recent inflation has made them more worried about their ability to retire safely. (Ted Godbout, 2024). Another survey data also conducted by The Chosun Daily on health insurance assessment review, the age of approaching retirement in their 50s to 60s received a lot of treatment for depression and anxiety increased 16 per cent between 2017 and 2021 to reach 192,636. Many of them spent their working lives, felt alienated in their families and suddenly spent some of their time at home when they retired. (Kim Kyung-eun, 2023).

Based on survey data conducted by researchers at Balurjatim, that from the results of the selection of applications for soldiers who are approaching retirement and want to carry out skills debriefing every year, there are around 320 soldiers who will retire each year conducting skills debriefing training (bektram) and soldiers who will retire on average experience concerns so that they can still work when they retire as soldiers by applying to be channeled to work in several companies State-owned enterprises such as railway companies, security services and shipbuilding companies. Interviews were also conducted with soldiers who were conducting skills briefings at Balurjatim, most of the soldiers expressed anxiety about retiring later, the soldiers were worried that no one would recognise the contributions they had made so far when they retired. Whenever these soldiers think about retirement, they become very irritable or anxious. They feel that what they have done so far is meaningless even though they have achieved a lot during their service. Even when they are with their families, they find it difficult to enjoy the moment because their minds are filled with worries about retirement. There is a sense of anxiety and fear of not having enough money, not knowing what to do and fearing that in the end they will only become a burden on the family. The individual is not ready to face retirement and is worried that when retiring, the family’s needs will not be sufficient and the income earned is not as much as when the individual is still actively working. Unpreparedness in facing retirement generally arises from concerns about not being able to fulfil certain needs after retirement arrives (Astuti, 2018).

Anxiety experienced when going into retirement if left unchecked will have an adverse impact both physically and psychologically. According to Bucklew (Trismiati, 2014) physiologically the symptoms of anxiety that appear include sleeplessness, heart palpitations, trembling and stomach nausea and psychologically the symptoms are easy to feel tense, confused, worried, difficulty concentrating and feeling uncertain. Anxiety is a disorder in which individuals experience constant worry about small things such as worrying about their wellbeing or everyday problems (Davison, Neale & Kring, 2010).

Previous research on retirement anxiety has commonly used several interventions including cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) which aims to help individuals recognise and change negative anxiety-provoking thought patterns. However, the drawback of this approach is that it requires a high commitment to ongoing sessions and is less effective for individuals with cognitive or emotional barriers. Another widely used approach is Mindfulness training, which teaches individuals to focus on the present rather than worrying about the future. For individuals who are less accustomed to mediation practices or have a highly structured lifestyle, such as military personnel the application of mindfulness is difficult and considered less relevant. Stress management is one approach that is also often used to address anxiety, including retirement anxiety. This approach focuses on managing stress through the use of techniques that help individuals recognise, control and respond more adaptively to stress. However, this approach tends to focus on stress reduction without giving adequate emphasis on strengthening positive emotions. Most existing interventions emphasise the reduction of negative emotions without providing sustainable alternatives for building psychological well-being in retirement. Such approaches may not be sufficient to build the long-term emotional resilience needed to cope with the life-changing transitions of retirement.

Ideally, retirement does not need to be faced with anxiety, meaning that a person will feel more positive when retirement arrives. According to Santrock (2002) things that can affect a person in accepting retirement are actually emotional problems in workers towards retirement itself. If able to control impulses or emotions well, then the individual will find many positive sides that can be taken. One of the factors of anxiety according to Durand and Barlow (2007) is suppressed emotions. Individuals who cannot find solutions to overcome the feelings that arise in their personal relationships will give rise to anxiety. One of the abilities for a person to regulate and change negative emotions into positive ones is the ability of emotion regulation.  Someone who is able to manage their emotions appropriately experiences lower anxiety. Meanwhile, people who are unable to manage their emotions will experience higher anxiety (Aprisandityas et al., 2012).

Emotion regulation is an individual’s ability to regulate, evaluate, store and react to emotions appropriately to achieve a certain goal (Greenberg, 2015). Individuals facing retirement are needed to prepare themselves, because later they will face changes. The thing that each of these individuals must have is good emotional management. Emotion regulation is one of the abilities that contributes to self-adjustment when someone faces retirement. Santrock (2002) emotion regulation in individuals can influence the acceptance of retirement. If a person faces changes through emotions well, then the individual will find many positive sides in himself undergoing retirement.

Retirement anxiety experienced by individuals who are about to retire is assumed to be reduced by providing emotion control training for individuals to face the changes and adjustments that will occur during retirement through emotion regulation training so that individuals can be better prepared for retirement. Many clinical examples of anxiety through behavioural experiments to regulate unwanted emotions. Research on emotion regulation can be used as an alternative to handling anxiety problems (Gross, 2007). This is in accordance with research conducted by Gorgen, Hiller and Wiihoft (2013) that good emotional control can reduce anxiety symptoms. Preparation for retirement is very important so that workers who will retire are better prepared and do not feel anxious in dealing with it. The use of training methods was also carried out by several researchers and found that training methods can reduce anxiety (Afandi, 2006).

Retirement anxiety also has a negative impact on employees and the company. Hidayat and Madarina (2011) from the results of their research revealed that anxiety facing retirement faced by employees has a negative relationship with intention to entrepreneurship. Pessimistic individuals who will face retirement need the right way out. That way a negative view of retirement can be anticipated. Kartono (in Trismiyati, 2004) revealed that psychologically, anxiety is characterised by unstable emotions such as irritability, anger and anxiety. The problem that often occurs in retirement is the inability to be flexible, open and positively interpret retirement (Sasongko & Nurjati, 2017). It is in this process that a person facing retirement must accept the consequences of changes in himself during retirement. Unhappiness is likely to occur if you are not ready to accept these changes. One form of happiness is the fulfilment of psychological well-being.

One concept that leads to a positive psychology approach is psychological well-being, in positive psychology gaining well-being is by building positive emotions and focusing on the strengths that individuals have. Gratitude is one of the happiness expressed by a person and is related to psychological well-being (Aisyah & Chisol, 2018). Gratitude is also a form of happiness expression that can be felt by individuals and has a relationship with a person’s psychological well-being (McCullough, Emmons, Tsang, 2002).

Gratitude in retirement can also prevent anxiety, stress, depressive and pathological conditions because a grateful person has a high ability to control self-development (Peterson & Seligman, 2004). Gratitude causes individuals to perceive suffering as positive (Mc Millen in Krause, 2006). Gratitude will make individuals see that life is a gift, the perspective on life will be expanded with gratitude in oneself (Peterson & Seligman, 2004). Gratitude makes retirees not feel inferior because they have positive coping skills in facing life’s difficulties, are able to get support from others, can interpret experiences with a good perspective and have a plan for solving and solving problems (McCullough, Emmons, Tsang, 2002).

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Partisipants and Context

According to Kerlinger (1990) in experimental research it is very important to have uniform population characteristics. The selection of subjects was carried out in a selected manner using the criteria for research subjects that had been made by the researcher. The purpose of using these criteria is to make sure that the three groups (Experiment Group 1, Experiment Group 2 and Control Group) are in relatively the same condition.

To obtain equal research subjects, the researcher selected 121 subjects who participated in the skills debriefing exercise. A total of 60 subjects were eliminated because they were officers. 14 subjects were again eliminated because they had a remaining service period of more than one year, 8 subjects were eliminated because they still had dependent children who were attending school when entering retirement. At the final stage, a measurement of anxiety about facing retirement was taken, and 8 subjects were eliminated based on the results of the measurement. Thus, 31 subjects were obtained who fulfilled the research criteria and were in relatively the same condition.

Research design

This study uses pure experimental research or True experimental with pretest postest with control group design to determine the difference in the effectiveness of gratitude training and emotion regulation training on anxiety facing retirement. In this design, in addition to the existence of a control group as a comparison, before treatment is given, measurements are also made of the dependent variable so that changes in scores after treatment can be compared between two groups of subjects (Azwar, 2022).

Table 1: Desain Research True Eksperimen pretest postest with control group design

Description:

In this research design, 31 participants who were selected based on the research criteria were put into the experimental group and control group randomly (by lottery) so that each subject had the opportunity to enter the experimental group or control group. The experimental group is a group that is given treatment in the form of gratitude training and emotion regulation training while the control group is a group that is not given treatment. Each group was given a pretest before the implementation of the treatment and post test after the implementation of the treatment. The posttest was administered one week after the implementation of the treatment with the aim that the research participants could practice the material obtained in the training.

Data Collection

The Retirement Anxiety Scale

The scale used to reveal retirement anxiety is measured based on reactions that arise due to anxiety when entering retirement based on aspects of anxiety proposed by Nevid, Rathus & Greene (2005), namely physical aspects, behavioural aspects and cognitive aspects.

To strengthen the validity of the scale, researchers conducted a scale trial on 64 soldiers who will retire in various units. The results of the scale reliability test when conducting the trial obtained an Alpha Cronbach reliability coefficient of 0.935. Of the 55 items, after the trial, the number of items used was 42 items, with an alpha Cronbach value of 0.965.

Gratitude Training Module

The module was developed based on the steps of gratitude (Watkins, 2014) consisting of recounting, reflection, expression, and reappraisal, each of which will be a session in the gratitude training. The training itself was divided into four sessions in accordance with the techniques previously presented. The learning model used in this training is experiential learning (Pfeiffer & Jones, 1979) or experiential learning which is a learning situation that is more inductive than deductive, provides direct learning experiences, participants are given the opportunity to find their own meaning of learning outcomes and test the validity of their own experiences. The experiential learning model includes five stages of new experiences or activities, namely experiencing (experiencing), sharing experiences (publishing), processing experiences (processing), formulating conclusions (generalising), and applying (applying) (Pfeiffer & Jones, 1979).

Emotion Regulation Module

The module used in this study was developed by the researcher using the theoretical basis of (Gross & Thomson, 2007). According to (Gross & Thomson, 2007) regarding the five points in the emotion regulation process, it is possible for emotions to be managed. First, situation selection, which is taking action in a situation that will cause desirable or undesirable emotions. Individuals can approach or avoid a person, place or other object. Second, situation modification, this is similar to problem focused coping. Changing the situation that can ultimately change the negative impact of emotions, for example, listening to music using a haeadset in the library so as not to get bored. Third, Dispersal of attention, is a strategy where individuals direct attention to situations that can affect emotions, for example, distraction, concentration or contemplation. Fourth, Cognitive change, which refers to the selection of meaning taken for an event or how a person changes the meaning of the situation by changing the way of thinking, one form of cognitive change is reappraisal. Cognitive change involves changing the meaning of a situation that aims to change the emotional impact.  Fifth, response modulation, which is an individual’s attempt to regulate or change response tendencies (whether physical, verbal, or behavioural) directly (Gross & Thompson, 2007).

RESULT

Descriptive Statistical Analysis

After carrying out the intervention process, the researcher carried out data processing of the pre-test and post-test scores of the anxiety scale facing retirement, the pre-test and post-test results were obtained in the table below:

Table 2. Descriptive analysis results

Based on the table above, it is known that the pre-test results of experimental group I (gratitude) for the mean value are 147.60 with a standard deviation of 8.708, while for post-test data the mean value is 91.20 with a standard deviation of 4.541. For experimental group II data (Emotional regulation) it is known that the mean value in the pre-test results is 145.80 with a standard deviation of 7.642, while for the post-test it has an average of 91.50 with a standard deviation of 3.504. For the control group pre-test data, the mean value is 151.80 with a standard deviation of 11.535 and the post-test results have a mean of 152.70 with a standard deviation of 10.667.

Inferential Statistical Analysis

Normality Test

The normality test is used to determine whether the data in the study is normally distributed or not. Data normality is tested with the Shapiro-wilks technique which can be used for small to medium sample sizes. Data is said to be normally distributed if the significance is> 0.005. The results of the normality test in this study are as follows:

Table 3. Normality Test Result

Based on the data in the table above, it shows that the pretest, postest and gainscore data of the retirement anxiety scale have a significance> 0.05 except for the gainscore data in the control group. This indicates that the pretest and postest data are all normally distributed.

Homogeneity Test

The homogeneity test is used to check whether the data in the study are of uniform variance (homogeneous). The homogeneity test is carried out to determine whether the sampling technique used is appropriate or not. Data can be said to be homogeneous if the significance of Levene’s test for equality of variances > 0.005. The results of the homogeneity test in this study are as follows:

Table. 4. Homogeneity Test Result

Based on the data above, the results of the homogeneity test on the pretest data of the anxiety scale facing retirement in the experimental group and the control group have a levene value of 0.547 with a significance of 0.585 which is> 0.05 so that the data shows that there is no significant difference in variance between groups in the pretest data so that the assumption of homogeneity of variance is met for pretest data.  The same results are also shown in the posttest data on the anxiety scale facing retirement in the experimental and control groups have a levene value of 3.042 with a significance of 0.064, greater than 0.005 so it can be concluded that the variance between groups in the posttest data fulfils the assumption of homogeneity.

Paired Sample T-Test

Hypothesis testing using Paired Sample T-Test is used to determine whether there is a significant difference between before and after the intervention on the same subject in both the experimental and control groups. The following are the results of the paired sample t-test test of the experimental group and the control group of this study:

Table 5. Paired Sample T-Test Result

Based on the results of the above analysis, it shows that there is a significant difference in the gratitude training experimental group from before and after the intervention with a t value (21.344) with a significance of 0.001 (<0.05). For the emotional regulation experimental group from before and after the intervention showed a significant difference with a t value of (15.951) with a significance of 0.001 (<0.05). This shows that gratitude training and emotion regulation training can reduce anxiety facing retirement in soldiers who will retire. The control group data has a t value (1.695) with a significance of 0.121 (>0.05) so it can be said that there is no significant difference in the results of the pretest and posttest in the control group.

Kruskal-Wallis Test Analysis (gainscore)

The results of descriptive analysis testing with Kruskal-Wallis to see if there are differences in data distribution in the three test groups, namely the gratitude experimental group, the emotion regulation experimental group and the control group. The following are the results of the Kruskal Wallis test for the experimental and control groups:

Table 6. Kruskal-Wallis Result

Based on the results of descriptive analysis, the mean rank of anxiety facing retirement for participants with gratitude training = 9.80, participants with emotion regulation training background = 11.20, and participants with no treatment (control) background = 26.00. The order is based on the effectiveness of the interventions provided in contributing to reducing anxiety facing retirement where gratitude training ranks first in contributing to the effectiveness of reducing retirement anxiety in participants.

Table 7. Kruskal-Wallis Result

The results of hypothesis testing using Kruskal Wallis analysis obtained a score with a significance = 0.001 (p < 0.05). This means that there is a significant difference in anxiety facing retirement in participants with experimental groups of gratitude training, emotion regulation training and control groups (without treatment).

DISCUSSION

Based on hypothesis one compiled in this study is whether there is an effectiveness of gratitude training on anxiety facing retirement. After conducting inferential statistical tests, the results showed that gratitude training is effective in reducing anxiety in facing retirement in soldiers who conduct skills provision before entering retirement. So it can be said that the hypothesis is accepted.

All participants reported that taking part in the gratitude training provided them with new alternative thoughts and gave them new options on how to actively respond when anxiety arises, compared to the reactions shown before taking the training. Wood, et al. (2008) stated that high gratitude will make a person see the situation as favourable. The awareness that arises will help individuals see this situation clearly, so that new perspectives emerge in seeing problems and alternative solutions. Right thoughts, right feelings, right words and right actions will always prevent ourselves from negative things (Sosrokartono in Syuropati, 2011).

This result is in accordance with what Emmons, and McCullough (2004) and al-Ghazali (2000) stated about the effect of gratitude on individual psychology. According to Emmons, and Mc Cullough (2004) gratitude is a very important trait. Gratitude is one of the basic emotions necessary for individual stability. Expressing gratitude both to humans in the form of thanks and to God in the form of higher gratitude is a policy that has been universally recognised.

Seligmann and Peterson (2004) revealed two forms of gratitude, namely personal gratitude and transpersonal gratitude. Transpersonal gratitude (Seligmann & Peterson, 2004) aimed at God, which is done by employees who are entering the retirement preparation period, is by getting closer through religious worship activities and feeling abundant solemnity when doing so. Personal gratitude is then continued by appreciating people who have contributed to their lives until now, such as by still remembering what they have done for them, telling the person’s kindness, trying to repay if one day they are given the opportunity to meet, and being inspired to do the same kindness. Being inspired to do the same good is gratitude that is manifested in concrete actions (Watkins, et al., 2003).

Gratitude causes individuals to perceive suffering as a positive thing (Mc Millen in Krause, 2006). Seeing and feeling suffering as a positive thing makes individuals have coping skills that can trigger the emergence of self-meaning as a positive person so that it leads to a better way of life (Krause, 2006). Gratitude in retirement can also prevent anxiety, stress, depressive and pathological conditions because someone who is grateful has a high ability to control the environment, personal growth, life goals and self-acceptance (Bono, et al. (2004); Peterson and Seligman, 2004; Listiyandini, et al., 2015). Gratitude keeps retirees from feeling inferior because a grateful person has positive coping in the face of life’s difficulties, is able to seek social support, can interpret experiences with the best perspective, and always has a plan to find the best solution to solve problems (McCullough, Tsang & Emmons, 2004). Gratitude can indicate how far retirees feel happy (well-being) as seen from their life satisfaction.

Based on the second hypothesis in this study is whether emotion regulation training is effective for reducing anxiety facing retirement in soldiers who conduct skills provision training before retirement. Based on the results of data analysis conducted by researchers, the value of retirement anxiety before and after the intervention of emotion regulation training has decreased. This shows that emotion regulation training is effective in reducing anxiety facing retirement in soldiers who conduct skills debriefing training to enter retirement.

These results are in line with research conducted by Horn, Holzgang and Rosenberger (2024) that a person’s emotional regulation can reduce transition anxiety when entering retirement and improve self-adjustment to negative conditions, difficult to follow and failure to adapt. Similar research also conducted by Gorgen, Hiller, and Witthoft (2013) shows that good emotional control can reduce anxiety symptoms. Research conducted by Mayangsari (2014) where the results of the study showed that there was a significant effect of emotional regulation on anxiety. This shows that the better a person’s emotional regulation, the lower the level of anxiety they have. Another study conducted by Ruiz (2016) shows that the strategies in emotion regulation that people have, have a strong influence related to anxiety and depression when someone retires. The more emotion regulation strategies that can be applied to problems during retirement, the lower the level of anxiety and depression the retiree has.

According to Gross’s research (in Dennis, 2007) states that individuals who have the ability to regulate emotions can control themselves when they are upset, and can overcome anxiety, sadness or anger so that they can accelerate problem solving. In the research analysis, it was found that the emotional regulation of soldiers who will enter retirement has a high category. Generally, of the several things that affect a person in accepting retirement is the emotional problem of the soldiers towards retirement itself. If someone is able to control their impulses or emotions well, then that person can find many positive sides that can be taken. In addition, emotion regulation skills can make a person skilled in reducing negative feelings within themselves, so that anxiety in facing retirement can be reduced. This is where emotion regulation is needed by individuals (Santrock, 2012).

Based on the third hypothesis formulated in this study is whether there is a difference in gratitude training and emotion regulation training in reducing anxiety facing retirement of soldiers who are carrying out skill debriefing at Balurjatim. After conducting statistical tests, the results showed that there were differences in gratitude training and emotion regulation training in reducing anxiety facing retirement in soldiers who were carrying out skills training. Both interventions were statistically equally able to reduce the level of anxiety facing retirement in participants. However, numerically, the gratitude training intervention was able to reduce retirement anxiety higher than the emotion regulation training when viewed from the mean rank difference with a difference of 1.4 points. This suggests that gratitude training can provide greater potential than emotion regulation training.

Regarding the gratitude training and emotion regulation training given to participants.  Statistical test results from both trainings showed effectiveness in reducing anxiety in facing retirement, but the intervention of providing gratitude training has greater potential than emotion regulation training. This shows that gratitude training has an indispensable aspect in overcoming anxiety, namely its ability to form new coping to overcome anxiety before entering retirement. Gratitude training is a new coping resource that participants can use to change the meaning of an event and regulate emotional levels so that the impact can be reduced naturally. Good coping resources will be able to moderate and help individuals reduce the negative impact of emerging anxiety (Brown, Vanable, Carey, & Elin, 2010).

Gratitude training provides an opportunity for participants to be able to bring up the ability to reassess situations that cause anxiety in themselves and find new alternative thoughts to be more optimal. This shows that the cognitive appraisal process of the participants experienced changes in responding to the sources of anxiety in themselves and were able to access internal resources in managing anxiety about facing retirement.

According to Nevid, Rathus & Greene (2003), retirement anxiety is an emotional state that has the characteristics of physiological arousal, tense, unpleasant feelings and feelings of apprehension, a state of worry that complains that something bad is about to happen. It is divided into three aspects of anxiety, namely physical aspects, behavioural aspects and cognitive aspects. The results of this study indicate that there is a decrease in the value of anxiety aspects in each experimental group after attending gratitude training and emotion regulation training. The decrease in anxiety cannot be separated from the subject’s participation in the gratitude training and the monitoring carried out by the researcher after the implementation of the training.

Discussing more about gratitude training, gratitude not only causes people to be happy in the moment, but can also last in the long term (Emmons & McCullough, 2003). In other words, gratitude can encourage a person to make more meaning of their life and be satisfied with life (Wood, Froh, & Geraghty, 2010). An attitude of gratitude can lead to motivation to behave prosocially or help others, or conversely also feel the presence of social support from others. In other words, grateful people will have positive relationships with others (Wood, Froh, & Geraghty, 2010). This is certainly very much needed when undergoing retirement where the attachment of positive relationships with others is related to being grateful for what is owned, which has been lived during work and service until retirement.

Based on the results of data acquisition, emotion regulation training can also significantly reduce anxiety about facing retirement. This is shown based on the decrease in anxiety rates based on the results of pre and post test data processing. The role of emotion regulation on anxiety facing retirement is quite high, an effort is needed to improve emotion regulation to reduce or even avoid anxiety in facing retirement through emotion regulation training conducted to participants.

The process of implementing emotion regulation training interventions is not only limited to recognising types of emotions, but also includes the important stage of expressing and managing emotions. Activities such as identifying and naming emotions felt in certain situations, as well as recording emotions experienced in the previous few days, are an integral part of this process. This approach is in line with findings from research conducted by (Sari et al., 2020), which showed that stress management and emotion management have a significant effect on a person’s anxiety level. By providing trainees with the opportunity to learn to recognise, express and manage their emotions better, the training aims to improve their overall emotional well-being.

In the emotion regulation training interventions conducted with participants, activities that lead to the transformation of negative emotions into positive emotions are very important. For example, trainees can be encouraged to identify optimistic or solution-focused aspects when faced with challenges, or explore sources of happiness in their daily activities. In addition, participants can also be involved in practising emotion regulation techniques, such as noting things they are grateful for every day, or strengthening positive social relationships. The presence of positive emotions in individuals, including in the context of care and social interactions, can have a significant impact (Wong, et al 2013). Training in emotion regulation not only helps individuals to better manage stress and challenges, but also improves the quality of social relationships and overall well-being (Rinaldi et al., 2023). Thus, strengthening skills in transforming negative emotions into positive emotions can be an effective strategy in improving quality of life and interpersonal interactions (Wong et al. 2013).

According to Johnson and Johnson (2001), training is based on the principle of experiential learning in which the process is not only carried out by providing material but participants are also given the opportunity to directly experience the behaviours that are trained in the form of meaningful tasks, activities and games (Ancok, 2005). Based on the evaluation of the programme, participants also assessed that the training materials provided were quite good, participants evaluated that the materials provided per session were satisfactory, the materials were in accordance with the training objectives both in terms of meaningfulness and benefits, from the training participants felt that they gained additional knowledge about how to be grateful and how to take positive things from an experience both pleasant and unpleasant in life, participants also revealed that the material provided was easy to understand, because it was delivered in a fun, interesting form, with simple sentences, and was equipped with examples that were close to daily life so that it made it easier for participants to apply it in their daily lives.

Monitoring

This monitoring was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the gratitude and emotion regulation training in helping participants reduce retirement anxiety. In addition, this monitoring aims to ensure that participants can apply the skills learnt during the intervention in their daily lives.

Monitoring was conducted through the completion of a logbook that was given to the participants in the last session of the training and the technicalities of filling it out were explained. This logbook contains daily records of the practice of gratitude and emotion regulation carried out by participants for twenty-one day after the training.

Each participant is expected to record various important aspects in their logbook every day. One of the things to note is the practice of gratitude, where participants write down what they are grateful for every day, both small and big. In addition, emotion regulation trainees are also asked to fill out a logbook to reflect on the application of emotion regulation by identifying situations that trigger anxiety and recording the techniques used to overcome them, such as deep breathing, simple relaxation, or mindfulness.

In the logbook, participants also need to record the changes they feel after applying gratitude and emotion regulation, both in terms of feelings, thought patterns, and emotional reactions. In addition, they are expected to note any challenges or obstacles that arise in applying the learnt strategies. As part of the daily reflection, participants were also asked to write down the strategies they used to overcome these obstacles, so that they can be used as evaluation and learning materials for the future.

After the twenty-one-day monitoring period is over, participants will submit their logbooks for evaluation. The evaluation is done by considering: Consistency in applying gratitude and emotion regulation, Changes in anxiety levels based on participants’ logbooks, Identification of common patterns or challenges faced by participants

Training Evaluation

Training evaluation was measured using the training evaluation model developed by Krikpatrick (1988). The 4 level model is participant reaction, learning, behaviour change and outcomes for the institution:

Participant reaction

At this stage, trainee satisfaction is measured to assess the effectiveness of the programme. Training is considered successful if participants are satisfied, motivated and interested in the learning process. This satisfaction includes aspects of materials, facilities, delivery strategies, and learning media. Reaction evaluation was conducted through a scorecard that measured participants’ experience. The results showed that the training was considered informative, the delivery of the material was easy to understand, and there were rewards that increased participation. The material presented was complete and relevant to the challenges faced by soldiers approaching retirement, so participants felt more connected to the content of the training.

Learning

At this stage, the knowledge of the trainees is evaluated. Participants are considered to have learnt if they show an increase in understanding, skills, or attitude changes in accordance with the training objectives. This evaluation can be known through the results of assignment sheets done by participants during the training, discussions, and observations supported by logbook records. These records reflect the participants’ ability to apply the learnt material in real-life situations after the training intervention has been completed.

Behaviour Change

The pretest and posttest results showed a decrease in retirement anxiety after participants attended the gratitude and emotion regulation training. This decrease indicates that the training helped participants manage their anxiety better. To evaluate the effectiveness of the training, 21 days of monitoring was conducted through logbook completion. In the logbook, participants recorded their gratitude practices, emotion regulation strategies applied, and the changes they felt. The monitoring results showed that participants not only experienced a decrease in anxiety, but were also able to recognise and manage their emotions better. They successfully applied the skills of gratitude and emotion regulation in their daily lives, which helped them face retirement more calmly and positively.

Results for the institution

To evaluate the impact of the gratitude and emotion regulation training on participants after the intervention, the researcher conducted an interview with the head of the general department who was in direct contact with soldiers in the retirement skills training. The results of the interview showed that the training had a positive impact on the institution, especially in reducing participants’ anxiety and concerns about retirement. The participants became calmer, more focused, and more prepared to undergo each skill-briefing session.

In addition, post-training observations showed that participants began to apply the skills taught, such as expressing gratitude in daily activities and being grateful for every opportunity. They also used breathing relaxation techniques to help control their emotions, especially when facing challenges in training that require perseverance or when receiving various information from instructors. This positive impact helps the institution in preparing soldiers who will retire with better mental readiness and skills.

CONCLUSION

Based on the research results and data provided, it can be concluded that gratitude training and emotional regulation training significantly reduced the level of anxiety in facing retirement in soldiers compared to the control group. This can be seen from the average rank (Mean Rank) of anxiety levels, where the gratitude group had a Mean Rank of 9.80 and the emotional regulation group was 11.20, which was much lower than the control group which had a Mean Rank of 26.00.

This difference shows that the intervention given in the form of gratitude and emotional regulation training succeeded in reducing participant anxiety more effectively than receiving no intervention at all. Although both trainings reduced anxiety, there was a difference in effectiveness between the two, as seen from the Mean Rank of the gratitude group which was slightly lower than the emotional regulation group. This indicates that gratitude training tends to be more effective in reducing anxiety than emotional regulation training. Therefore, in an effort to help soldiers face retirement better, the selection of training methods can be adjusted to individual needs so that the results obtained are more optimal.

REFERENCES

1. Adams, G. A., & Beehr, T. A. (2003). Retirement: reasons, processes, and results. New York: Springer Publishing Company.
2. Afandi, A. N. (2006). Efektivitas Pelatihan Mediasi Mindfullness Terhadap Penurunan Tingkat Kecemasan Survivor Gempa Bumi di Ban Inquiry. 20-30.
3. Aisyah, A., & Chisol, R. (2018). Rasa Syukur Kaitannya Dengan Kesejahteraan Psikologis Pada Guru Honorer Sekolah Dasar. Jurnal Proyeksi, 13 (2),1-14. DOI:10.30659/jp.13.2.1-14.
4. Amune, J. B., Aidenojie, E. O., & Obinyan , O. O. (2015). Management Of Life After Retirement And Its Implication On Retired Academic Librarians In Edo State Niegria. International Journal Of Humanities And Social Science, 5 (10), 233-241.
5. Aprisandityas, A., Fakultas, D. E., Uin, P., Syarif, S., & Riau, K. (2012). Hubungan Antara Regulasi Emosi Dengan Kecemasan Pada Ibu Hamil. Jurnal Psikologi, 8(2), 80–89. https://doi.org/10.24014/JP.V8I2.190.
6. Astuti, S. S. P., & SE, M. E. (2018). Antisipasi menghadapi masa pensiun ditinjau dari aspek pengendalian kecemasan. Jendela Inovasi Daerah, 1(1), 17-34. https://doi.org/10.56354/jendelainovasi.v1i1.11.
7. Azwar, S. (2022). Metode Penelitian Psikologi (2 (ed.)). Yogyakarta: Pustaka Pelajar.
8. BPS-Statistik Indonesia (2024). Katalog Keadaan Pekerja di Indonesia Bulan Februari tahun 2024. Direktorat Statistik Kependudukan dan Ketenagakerjaan. Volume 18, Nomor (1).
9. Brown, J. L., Vanable, P.A., Carey, M. P., & Elin, L. (2010). The Development of Computer-Administered Cognitive-Behavioral Intervention To Promote Stress Management Among HIV+ Women. Journal of Cognitive Psycho-therappy: An International Quarterly, 24 (4), 265 – 280.
10. Chaplin, J.P. (2002). Kamus Lengkap Psikologi. Jakarta : Raja Grapindo Persada.
11. Davison, G. C., Neale, J. M., & Kring, A. M. (2010). Psikologi Abnormal (Sembilan). Jakarta: Rajawali Pers.
12. Dennis, T. A. (2007). Interactions Between Emotion Regulation Strategies and Affective Style : Implications for Trait Anxiety Versus Depressed Mood. Journal Hunter College, 200-207.
13. Durand, V. M., & Barlow, D. H. (2007). Intisari Psikologi Abnormal (2 ed.). Yogyakarta: Pustaka Belajar.
14. Emmons, R. A., & McCullough, M. E. (2003). Counting blessings versus burdens: an experimental investigation of gratitude and subjective wellbeing in daily life. Journal of personality and social psychology, 84(2), 377389.
15. ESQMPP. (2024). Hasil Survey Kecemasan Jelang Pensiun 2016-2017. diakses 11 April 2019 dari http://esqmpp.com/hasil-survey-kecemasan-jelang-pensiun-2016-2017/.
16. Fauzia, M. & Setiawan, S.R. (2019, 12 Februari). Sebagian Besar Orang Indonesia Tidak Siap Finansial Untuk Pensiun. Koran Kompas. https://ekonomi.kompas.com/read/ 2019/02/12/ 143803926/sebagian-besar-orang-indonesia-tak-siap-finansial-untuk-pensiun.
17. Godbout, T (2024). High Retirement Anxiety Continues Among Americans: Survey. The American Society of Pension Professionals & Actuaries. https://www.asppa-net.org/news/2024/2/high-retirement-anxiety-continues-among-americans-survey/.
18. Ghufron, M.N & Risnawita, R. (2012). Teori-teori Psikologi. Jogyakarta: AR-RUZZ MEDIA.
19. Görgen, S. M., Hiller, W., & Witthöft, M. (2013). Health Anxiety, Cognitive Coping, and Emotion Regulation: A Latent Variable Approach. International Journal of Behavioral Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12529-013-9297-y.
20. Gratz, K. L., & Roemer, L. (2004). Multidimensional assessment of emotion regulation and dysregulation: Development, factor structure, and initial validation of the difficulties in emotion regulation scale. Journal of psychopathology and behavioral assessment, 26, 41-54.
21. Greenberg, L. S. (2015). Emotion-focused therapy (coaching clients to work through their feeling . Washington DC: American Psychological Association.
22. Gross, James J. (2007). Handbook of Emotion Regulation. New York : The Guilford Press.
23. Hurlock, E. B. (2006). Psikologi Perkembangan: Suatu Pendekatan Sepanjang Rentang kehidupan. Jakarta: Erlangga.
24. Jeffrey S.Nevid, Spencer A. Rathus, Beverly Greene (2005). Psikologi Abnormal: alih Bahasa. Edisi 5, jilid 1. Jakarta: Erlangga.
25. Jermann, Francoise, dkk. (2006). Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire. European Journal of Psychological Assessment, 22, 126-131.
26. Johnson, D. W., & Johnson, F. P. (2001). Joining Together, Group Theory and Group Skills. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
27. Kuncoro. (2015). Merancang Masa Pensiun Bahagia. Jakarta, Indonesia: PT Gramedia Pustaka Utama.
28. Kim Kyung-eun (2023, 11 Agustus). Loneliness Threatens Retired Korean. The Chosun Daily. https://www.chosun.com/english/2023/08/11/QB5NRGZATRGP7PWIP5MPME7JQY/.
29. Krause, N. (2006). Gratitude Toward God, Health, And Stress In Late Life. Research In Aging. Beverly Hills: Mar 2006. Vol 28, Iss.2, hal 163.
30. Latipun (2006). Psikologi Eksperimen (edisi ketiga). Universitas Muhamadiyah Malang Press.
31. Listiyandini, R.A.,Nathania,A., Syahniar,D., Sonia,L.,&Nadya, R. (2015). Mengukur rasa syukur: pengembangan awal skala bersykur versi Indonesia. Jurnal Psikologi Ulayat. 2 (2), 473-496.
32. McCullough, M. E., Emmons, R. A., & Tsang, J.-A. (2002). The Grateful Disposition : A Conceptual and Empirical Topography. Journal of Personalty and Social Psychology, 82 (1), 112-127, DOI: 10.1037//0022-3514.82.1.112.
33. Nevid, S. J., Rathus, A. S., & Greene, B. (2005). Psikologi abnormal jilid 1 (pp. 304–306). Jakarta: Erlangga.
34. Nugraheny, D.E & Prabowo, D. (2024, 05 Januari). Lebih Dari 600 Ribu ASN Akan Pensiun Hingga 2027. Koran Kompas. https://nasional.kompas.com/read/2024/01/05/18342531/lebih-dari-600-ribu-asn-akan-pensiun-hingga-2027?page=all#google_vignette
35. Oluseyi, A., & Olufemi, O. (2015). Development and validation of retirement anxiety scale for secondary school teacher in osun state, nigeria. International Journal of Psychology Studies. 7(2). 138-145.
36. Peterson, C., & Park, N. (2003). Positive psychology as the evenhanded positive psychologist views it. Psychological Inquiry, 14, 141-146.
37. Peterson, C., & Seligman, M.E.P. (2004). Character Strength and Virtues: A Handbook & Classification. New York: Oxford University Press.
38. Pradono, G. S. & Purnamasari, S. E. (2010). Hubungan antara penyesuaian diri dengan kecemasan dalam menghadapi pensiun pada pegawai negeri sipil Di Propinsi Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta. Jurnal Ilmiah. Accessed on February 20, 2013 from http://fpsi.mercubuana-yogya.ac.id/jurnal-ilmiah/.
39. Ramaiah, D. S. (2003). Bagaimana Mengatasi Penyebabnya (1 ed.). Jakarta: Pustaka Populer Obor.
40. Rini, J.C. (2001). Pensiun dan pengaruhnya. Retrieved September 29, 2012, from Psikologi/usia/person/com/htm:62k.
41. Rosyid, H.R. 2003. Pemutusan Hubungan Kerja, masih kah mencemaskan? Buletin Psikologi. Yogyakarta: Fakultas Psikologi. Universitas Gadjah Mada, Vol. 11, No.2, 95-106.
42. Santrock, J W. 2012. Life Span Development : Perkembangan Masa-Hidup, Ed 2 jilid 2. Jakarta: Erlangga.
43. Saputra & Ella. (2016). Pengaruh Program Persiapan Pensiun Terhadap Kesiapan Pensiun Karyawan Di PT Krakatau Steel (Persero) e-Proceeding of Management. 3(3), 2991.
44. Savitri Ramaiah. (2003). Kecemasan bagaimana mengatasi penyebabnya. Jakarta: Pustaka Populer Obor.
45. Setiana, Y. T. (2016). Efektivitas Pelatihan Regulasi Emosi Terhadap Penurunan Tingkat Kecemasan Pada Ibu Hamil Hipertensi. In Thesis. Yogyakarta: Profesi, Universitas Islam Indonesia Fakultas Psikologi dan Ilmu Sosial Budaya Program Magister Psikologi Empowerment: Jurnal Pengabdian Masyarakat, e-ISSN 2598-2052 Vol. 05 Nomor 03. 2022.334-345.
46. Sugiyono, S. (2015). Metode penelitian kuantitatif dan kualitatif dan R&D. Bandung: Penerbit Alfabeta.
47. Soesilo, T.D. (2019). Ragam dan Prosedur Penelitian Tindakan. Satya Wacana University Press, Salatiga.
48. Thompson, R. A. (1994). Emotion Regulation : A Theme in Search of Definition. Monographs of the Society for Research inChild Development, 59(2-3), 25-52.
49. Tosman. (2009). Panduan strategi pilihan usaha setelah pensiun. Jakarta: Salemba Empat.
50. Trismiati. (2004). Perbedaan Tingkat Kecemasan Antara Pria dan Wanita Akseptor Kontrasepsi Mantap di RSUP Dr. Sardjito. Jurnal Psyche Vol. 1, 1-15.
51. Watkins, P. C. (2014). Gratitude and the Good Life: Toward a Psychology of Appreciation. New York: Springer.
52. Wood, A. M., Maltby, J., Gillett, R., Linley, P. A., & Joseph, S. (2008). The Role of Gratitude In the Development of Social Support, Stress, and Depression: Two Longitudinal Studies. Journal of Research in Personality, 42, 854–871.
53. Wong, E., Tschan, F., Messerli, L., & Semmer, N. K. (2013). Expressing and amplifying positive emotions facilitate goal attainment in workplace interactions. Frontiers in Psychology, 4, 188. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00188.
54. Yunus , S. (2019). 3 Sebab Pekerja Indonesia Khawatirkan Masa Pensiun. Jakarta: m.kumparan.com.
55. Yuliarti, V. dan Mulyana, P.O (2014). Hubungan antara kecemasan menghadapi pensiun dengan semangat kerja pada pegawai pt.pos indonesia kantor pusat surabaya. Character: Jurnal psikologi pendidikan. 3(02); 238-243.
56. Zuraya, N. (2017, 20 April). 90 Persen Pekerja di Indonesia Tak Siap Menghadapi Masa Pensiun. Koran Republika. https://ekonomi.republika.co.id/berita/oop765383/90-persen-pekerja-di-indonesia-tak-siap-hadapi-masa-pensiun.