Emotional Intelligence as a Predictor of Psychological Well-Being in University Students
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.62843/jrsr/2025.4d154Keywords:
Emotional Intelligence, Academic Performance, Undergraduate Students, Psychological Well-being, Emotional Self-regulation, PersonalityAbstract
The current research was conducted to investigate the connection between emotional intelligence (EI) and psychological well-being (PWB) amongst Peshawar based university students. In particular, the study aimed at determining the role of EI in the PWB among students and demarcating demographic differences in EI between female and male students, contrasted with their respective PWB profile. This twofold objective adds value to the academic discourse of affective competencies within higher education institutions. The sample size was 8 universities that are located in Peshawar; four of them were in the public sector and the other 4 were in the private sector. Four hundred respondents were attracted using random sampling methods. The methodological soundness of the quantitative data was achieved by thoroughly analysing them with the help of the relevant statistical procedures. The results have clearly shown that there is a strong relationship between EI and PWB, which has a consequential effect on academic performance, as well as, the personal life courses of the students. In addition, the data showed that EI profiles of students in their first years of study were significantly different with those of their fellows in their senior semesters. Therefore, the enhancement of PWB among students seems to be dependent on the high levels of EI. These results highlight the necessity of providing universities with specific resources, infrastructural assistance, and guidance services that will support successful emotional regulation and general psychological well-being.
References
Akram, M., Munir, F., & Gilani, M. (2020). Relationship between emotional intelligence and psychological well-being of secondary school teachers. Global Educational Studies Review, V(IV), 108-121. https://doi.org/10.31703/gesr.2020(v-iv).12
Carmeli, A., Yitzhak‐Halevy, M., & Weisberg, J. (2009). The relationship between emotional intelligence and psychological wellbeing. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 24(1), 66-78. https://doi.org/10.1108/02683940910922546
Caruso, D. R., Mayer, J. D., & Salovey, P. (2002). Relation of an ability measure of emotional intelligence to personality. Journal of Personality Assessment, 79(2), 306-320. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327752jpa7902_12
Cazan, A., & Năstasă, L. E. (2015). Emotional intelligence, satisfaction with life and burnout among University students. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 180, 1574-1578. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.02.309
Crego, A., Yela, J. R., Gómez-Martínez, M. Á., & Karim, A. A. (2019). The contribution of meaningfulness and mindfulness to psychological well-being and mental health: A structural equation model. Journal of Happiness Studies, 21(8), 2827-2850. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-019-00201-y
Goleman, D. (1998). The emotional intelligence of leaders. Leader to Leader, 1998(10), 20-26. https://doi.org/10.1002/ltl.40619981008
Guerra-Bustamante, J., León-del-Barco, B., Yuste-Tosina, R., López-Ramos, V. M., & Mendo-Lázaro, S. (2019). Emotional intelligence and psychological well-being in adolescents. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16(10), 1720. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16101720
Kamal, A., Khan, R.A. (2008). Self-Report Measure of emotional Intelligence. National Institute of Psychology, Quaid-e-Azam University Islamabad.
Malinauskas, R., & Malinauskiene, V. (2020). The relationship between emotional intelligence and psychological well-being among male university students: The mediating role of perceived social support and perceived stress. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(5), 1605. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17051605
Mayer, J. D., & Geher, G. (1996). Emotional intelligence and the identification of emotion. Intelligence, 22(2), 89-113. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0160-2896(96)90011-2
Mandell, B., & Pherwani, S. (2003). Relationship between emotional intelligence and transformational leadership style: A gender comparison. Journal of Business and Psychology, 17(3), 387–404.
Mehmood, T., & Gulzar, S. (2014). Relationship between emotional intelligence and psychological well-being among Pakistani adolescents. Asian Journal of Social Sciences & Humanities, 3(3), 178–185.
Minz, D. I. L., & Singh, R. (2025). A Study of Emotional Intelligence and Psychological Well-being. International Journal of Indian Psychology, 13(2). https://doi.org/10.25215/1302.249
Pimple, J. (2023). Correlational analysis of emotional intelligence and psychological well-being. Indian Journal of Positive Psychology, 14(2), 39–42.
Ruiz-Ortega, A. M., Sánchez-Álvarez, N., & Berrios-Martos, M. P. (2024). Psychological well-being and emotional intelligence in undergraduate nursing students as predictors of academic success. Nurse Education Today, 143(106406), 106406. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2024.106406
Ryff, C., Almeida, D., Ayanian, J., Binkley, N., Carr, D. S., Coe, C., ... & Williams, D. (2015). Midlife in the United States (MIDUS 3), 2013-2014. (No Title).
Ryff, C. D. (1989). Happiness is everything, or is it? Explorations on the meaning of psychological well-being. Journal of personality and social psychology, 57(6), 1069.
Ruiz-Aranda, D., Extremera, N., & Pineda-Galán, C. (2014). Emotional intelligence, life satisfaction and subjective happiness in female student health professionals: the mediating effect of perceived stress: Emotional intelligence, well-being and perceived stress. Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing, 21(2), 106–113. https://doi.org/10.1111/jpm.12052
Ruiz-Ortega, A. M., Sánchez-Álvarez, N., & Berrios-Martos, M. P. (2024). Psychological well-being and emotional intelligence in undergraduate nursing students as predictors of academic success. Nurse Education Today, 143(106406), 106406. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2024.106406
Schutte, N. S., Malouff, J. M., Bobik, C., Coston, T. D., Greeson, C., Jedlicka, C., Rhodes, E., & Wendorf, G. (2001). Emotional intelligence and interpersonal relations. The Journal of Social Psychology, 141(4), 523–536. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224540109600569
Ugoani, J., & Akuezue, E. (2013). Imperatives of emotional intelligence on psychological wellbeing among adolescents. American Journal of Applied Psychology, 1(3), 44–48.
Van Lissa, C. J., Keizer, R., Van Lier, P. A., Meeus, W. H., & Branje, S. (2019). The role of fathers’ versus mothers’ parenting in emotion-regulation development from mid-late adolescence: Disentangling between- family differences from within-family effects. Developmental Psychology, 55(2).
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Dr. Tabassum Faiz Solehria, Huma Alam, Dr. Syed Munir Ahmad, Maham Asad Jahangir

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
