Emotional Intelligence and Self-Esteem: A Correlational Study among University Students
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.62843/jssr.v5i3.559Keywords:
Emotional Intelligence, Nationality and Gender, Student Well-Being, Positive Self-Concept, Emotional Stability, Psychological Adjustment, University StudentsAbstract
This research examined the association of emotional intelligence with self-esteem among university students in Quetta, Balochistan. Using a quantitative correlational design, data were collected from 219 students aged 17-30 years through online questionnaires comprising the Brief Emotional Intelligence Scale (BEIS-10) and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES). Results showed a statistically significant but weak positive correlation (r=.21, p<.01) between Emotional Intelligence and Self-Esteem. This indicates that higher emotional intelligence is linked to higher self-esteem. Regression analysis confirmed Emotional Intelligence as a significant predictor, accounting for 4.3% of Self-Esteem variance. These findings align with the global literature, which highlights the role of Emotional Intelligence in shaping self-concept and psychological adaptation. The study suggests that enhancing Emotional Intelligence in the university can promote healthier self-esteem and emotional functioning. However, limitations include the use of convenience sampling and self-report measures. Future research should explore additional variables to better understand the mechanism of Emotional Intelligence and Self-Esteem within diverse cultures.
References
Abdullah, A. H., Julius, E., Suhairom, N., Ali, M., Abdul Talib, C., Mohamad Ashari, Z., Abdul Kohar, U. H., & Abd Rahman, S. N. S. (2022). Relationship between Self-Concept, Emotional Intelligence and Problem-Solving Skills on Secondary School Students’ Attitude towards Solving Algebraic Problems. Sustainability, 14(21), Article 21. https://doi.org/10.3390/su142114402
Alipour, N., Sangi, S., Babamiri, M., & Arman, P. (2024). Investigating the relationship between emotional intelligence and self-esteem with educational performance in paramedical students. Medicina Clínica Práctica, 7(1), 100398. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mcpsp.2023.100398
Barragán Martín, A. B., Pérez-Fuentes, M. del C., Molero Jurado, M. del M., Martos Martínez, Á., Simón Márquez, M. del M., Sisto, M., & Gázquez Linares, J. J. (2021). Emotional Intelligence and Academic Engagement in Adolescents: The Mediating Role of Self-Esteem. Psychology Research and Behavior Management, 14, 307–316. https://doi.org/10.2147/PRBM.S302697
Bibi, A., Saleem, A., Khalid, M. A., & Shafique, N. (2020). Emotional Intelligence and Aggression among University Students of Pakistan: A Correlational Study. Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment & Trauma, 29(10), 1189–1203. https://doi.org/10.1080/10926771.2019.1709592
Bibi, S., Saqlain, S., & Mussawar, B. (n.d.). Relationship between Emotional Intelligence and Self Esteem among Pakistani University Students. Journal of Psychology & Psychotherapy, 6(4), 1–6. https://doi.org/10.4172/2161-0487.1000279
Casino-García, A. M., Llopis-Bueno, M. J., & Llinares-Insa, L. I. (2021). Emotional Intelligence Profiles and Self-Esteem/Self-Concept: An Analysis of Relationships in Gifted Students. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(3), Article 3. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18031006
Esteban, R. F. C., Mamani-Benito, O., Morales-García, W. C., Caycho-Rodríguez, T., & Mamani, P. G. R. (2022). Academic self-efficacy, self-esteem, satisfaction with studies, and virtual media use as depression and emotional exhaustion predictors among college students during COVID-19. Heliyon, 8(11). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e11085
Guasp Coll, M., Navarro-Mateu, D., Giménez-Espert, M. D. C., & Prado-Gascó, V. J. (2020). Emotional Intelligence, Empathy, Self-Esteem, and Life Satisfaction in Spanish Adolescents: Regression vs. QCA Models. Frontiers in Psychology, 11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01629
Jawabreh, N. (2024). The Relationship Between the Emotional Intelligence and Clinical Decision Making Among Nursing Students. SAGE Open Nursing, 10, 23779608241272459. https://doi.org/10.1177/23779608241272459
Kant, R. (2019). Emotional intelligence: A study on university students. Journal of Education and Learning (EduLearn), 13(4), Article 4. https://doi.org/10.11591/edulearn.v13i4.13592
Miezah, D., Opoku, M. P., Fenu, C., Quainoo, R., & Gyimah, E. M. (2025). Exploring the synergy between emotional intelligence and self-esteem among university students in Ghana. BMC psychology, 13(1), 22. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-025-02348-1
Molero Jurado, M. del M., Pérez-Fuentes, M. del C., Martos Martínez, Á., & Gázquez Linares, J. J. (2022). Emotional intelligence and self-esteem: Personal competencies necessary for physicians. Frontiers in Medicine, 9. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmed.2022.965417
Mubashir, D. A. S., Dawood, P. D. S., & Anjum, D. W. (2023). Emotional Intelligence, Self-Esteem, And Anger Among Adolescents In Pakistan. Journal of Positive School Psychology, 1364–1375.
Muhammad, S., Butt, M. N., Amin, S., & Iqra. (2024). Exploring The Effects Of Emotional Intelligence On Students’ Self-Esteem And Academic Achievement At University Level. Migration Letters, 21(S10), 1059–1067. https://migrationletters.com/index.php/ml/article/view/10918
Nie, Y., Wang, T., Guo, M., Zhou, F., Ma, W., Qiu, W., Gao, J., & Liu, C. (2025). The relationship between physical activity, life satisfaction, emotional regulation, and physical self-esteem among college students. Scientific Reports, 15(1), 15899. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-00651-w
Pérez-Fuentes, M. del C., Molero Jurado, M. del M., del Pino, R. M., & Gázquez Linares, J. J. (2019). Emotional Intelligence, Self-Efficacy and Empathy as Predictors of Overall Self-Esteem in Nursing by Years of Experience. Frontiers in Psychology, 10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02035
Ramos-Luna, M. E., & Oliver, J. (2024). Relationship between differentiation of self, emotional intelligence and self-esteem in a Spanish sample. Current Psychology, 43(8), 6797–6806. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-023-04822-8
Sa, B., Ojeh, N., Majumder, M. A. A., Nunes, P., Williams, S., Rao, S. R., & Youssef, F. F. (2019). The Relationship Between Self-Esteem, Emotional Intelligence, and Empathy Among Students From Six Health Professional Programs. Teaching and Learning in Medicine, 31(5), 536–543. https://doi.org/10.1080/10401334.2019.1607741
Saati, M., NasiriZiba, F., & Haghani, H. (2021). The correlation between emotional intelligence and self‐esteem in patients with intestinal stoma: A descriptive‐correlational study. Nursing Open, 8(4), 1769–1777. https://doi.org/10.1002/nop2.818
Selvan, M., & Vijayan, D. D. (2021). Emotional Intelligence and Self Esteem among Young Adults. International Journal of Indian Psychology, Original Study. https://doi.org/10.25215/0903.031
Shah, N. H., Nazir, N., & Zamir, S. (2019). Comparing Emotional Intelligence and Self-esteem in Secondary School Students of Punjab. UMT Education Review, 2(1), Article 1. https://doi.org/10.32350/uer.21.04
Subon, F. (2020). Self-Esteem and Academic Achievement: The Relationship and Gender Differences of Malaysian University Undergraduates. IAFOR Journal of Psychology & the Behavioral Sciences. https://doi.org/10.22492/IJPBS.6.1.03
Sun, G., & Lyu, B. (2022). Relationship between emotional intelligence and self-efficacy among college students: The mediating role of coping styles. Discover Psychology, 2(1), 42. https://doi.org/10.1007/s44202-022-00055-1
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Copyright in the Journal of Social Sciences Review is retained by the author(s). Authors also grant any third party the right to use the article freely as long as its integrity is maintained and its original authors, citation details and publisher are identified.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
SSR's Editorial Board shares the vision of providing free access to information, education, and science for everyone, thus promoting its content through an OPEN ACCESS POLICY, fulfilling the DOAJ definition of open access. The JSSR adheres to an Open Access and Copyright Licensing Policy based on the belief that making research freely accessible to the public promotes greater global knowledge sharing.
The JSSR uses the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. The authors who apply and publish in JSSR consent to abide by the copyright policy set out in the Creative Commons 4.0 license (Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International license).
- Copyright in the Journal of Social Sciences Review is retained by the author(s).
- Authors also grant any third party the right to use the article freely as long as its integrity is maintained and its original authors, citation details and publisher are identified.
While "By 'open access' to this literature, we mean its free availability on the public internet, permitting any users to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of these articles, crawl them for indexing, pass them as data to software, or use them for any other lawful purpose, without financial, legal, or technical barriers other than those inseparable from gaining access to the internet itself."
