EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE AND SOCIAL SUPPORT AS PREDICTORS OF ACADEMIC STRESS AMONG UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS

Abstract

This study examined emotional intelligence and perceived social support as predictors of academic stress among undergraduate students of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka. A total of 247 undergraduates were conveniently selected from five randomly chosen departments within the Faculty of Social Sciences. Participants’ ages ranged from 18 to 25 years (M = 21.75, SD = 1.83). The Emotional Intelligence Scale, the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support and the Academic Stress Scale were employed for data collection. A predictive research design was adopted, and data were analyzed using multiple linear regression. The findings indicated that emotional intelligence was not a statistically significant predictor of academic stress (β = −.044, p = .496), although the relationship was negative. Similarly, perceived social support did not significantly predict academic stress (β = −.057, p = .375), though the direction of association was also negative. The study concludes that while emotional intelligence and social support demonstrated inverse relationships with academic stress, neither variable significantly predicted stress levels within the sampled population. It is recommended that universities implement structured psychological interventions, including counselling and emotional skills training programs, to assist students in managing academic stress more effectively.