Background Emotional intelligence (EI) has been proposed as an important correlate of psychological well-being and academic functioning in nursing students; however, evidence regarding its relationship with adjustment and academic outcomes remains inconsistent. Objective To examine levels of emotional intelligence and adjustment, and to assess their associations with academic performance and selected sociodemographic variables among nursing students. Design Descriptive cross-sectional study. Setting(s): Selected nursing colleges in Udupi district, Karnataka, India. Participants A total of 300 undergraduate nursing students were recruited using random sampling. Methods Data were collected using a sociodemographic proforma, a self-developed Emotional Intelligence scale, and a standardized Adjustment Inventory. Internal consistency reliability was acceptable to high (Cronbach's alpha: EI = 0.927; Adjustment = 0.851). Analyses included descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, and Pearson's correlation coefficient, with corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI). Results Most participants demonstrated moderate-to-high EI and satisfactory adjustment. EI showed a weak positive correlation with adjustment ( r = 0.12; 95% CI: 0.01–0.23), indicating a small effect size. Higher EI was associated with better academic performance (χ 2 test, p < 0.001). No statistically significant associations were observed between EI and selected sociodemographic variables. Conclusions In this cross-sectional sample, emotional intelligence was positively associated with academic performance but demonstrated only a small correlation with adjustment. Given the observational design, causal inferences. Cannot be made. Nonetheless, findings suggest that EI may represent a potentially modifiable factor linked to academic outcomes. Rigorous longitudinal or interventional studies are warranted to clarify directionality and effectiveness of EI-focused educational strategies. Registration Clinical Trials Registry of India (CTRI/2025/10/115722). Registered October 2025; first participant recruitment commenced thereafter. Approved by the Institutional Ethics Committee (IEC2 No. 621/2025). Social media abstract Higher EI links to better academic performance in nursing students; the association is small; causality remains uncertain. What is already known about the topic • Emotional intelligence is associated with academic performance and psychological well-being among students. • Nursing students experience significant academic and emotional demands that require effective coping and adjustment. • Evidence regarding the relationship between emotional intelligence and adjustment remains inconsistent. What this paper adds • Emotional intelligence was independently associated with academic performance among nursing students, although the effect size was modest. • No significant association was found between emotional intelligence and overall adjustment, suggesting a multifactorial basis of adjustment. • The findings highlight the potential role of emotional intelligence as a modifiable factor in nursing education.
Raju et al. (Mon,) studied this question.