Trait Emotional Intelligence and its relation to Stress during the COVID–19 Pandemic. An empirical study on professional students of Dehradun, India
Mamta Bhatt, Deepti Sharma
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15439/2020KM241
Citation: Proceedings of the 2020 International Conference on Research in Management & Technovation, Shivani Agarwal, Darrell Norman Burrell, Vijender Kumar Solanki (eds). ACSIS, Vol. 24, pages 31–38 (2020)
Abstract. Emotional intelligence can be defined as a behavioral perception about understanding and regulating one's emotions. Trait emotional intelligence is the psychological construct measured by self-reported questionnaires, is considered part of a typical behavior, has been well studied in relation to stress, coping, positive thinking and adaptive responses and is amenable to training and enhancement. Covid-19 and its consequent lockdown present a unique opportunity to study stress. College students are particularly vulnerable group, not only because of the fear of the disease and its social impact, but also because of the strain associated with online classes, uncertainties regarding examinations and future career prospect and an overall bleak economic scenario. This study was conducted among college students pursuing professional courses in Dehradun, India, with a valid self-reported measure of EI, a global scale of perceived stress, and a self-made questionnaire about Covid-19 related stress, with the aim of assessing their emotional intelligence and to determine its correlation with stress. One hundred and eleven students were surveyed through an online questionnaire. Emotional intelligence had significant correlation with Covid-19 related stress, but not with perceived stress. Assessment of trait EI can identify students at risk of developing high stress.
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