Emotional Intelligence and Academic Success among Undergraduate Nursing Students in Pakistan: A Cross-Sectional Study

Emotional intelligence (EI) is recognized as a key factor in academic achievement, especially in professions like nursing. Pakistan is a country where students of nursing have unique problems that may affect academic achievement and well-being. Objectives: To examine how emotional intelligence is related to academic success amongst undergraduate nursing students in Pakistan. Methods: The cross-sectional study consisted of 400 undergraduate nursing students admitted to twin cities in Pakistan in nursing institutes. This was done by gathering data through the Schutte Emotional Intelligence Scale, and the academic performance of the students was gauged through CGPA. The statistical data analysis was conducted through descriptive statistics and inferential statistics (Pearson correlation and multiple linear regression). Results: The high individual correlation (r=0.74, p<0.001) between EI and the CGPA supports the need to consider EI as an important factor in attaining academic success. The multiple linear regression model revealed that EI had a relationship, which accounted for 25% of the variability in the CGPA, based on the R2 value of 0.25. Furthermore, the statistical significance of all the subscales as predictors was found to be statistically significant, indicating a positive relationship between greater EI and greater GPAs. Conclusions: In this study, EI is mentioned as an important variable in predicting academic success in nursing students in Pakistan. With the support of the specific training which encourages EI, the performance of the students can be improved, and they can be better prepared to meet the needs of the healthcare worker.