Relationship between emotional intelligence and self-efficacy among college students: the mediating role of coping styles

Abstract

Numerous studies have shown that college students have a lot of bad emotions due to their special status. Bad emotions cause many conflicts in college students’ lives and studies, resulting in a decrease in the quality of life and studies. However, few studies have examined the influence of the ability of self-regulation of emotions on the ability of college students to deal with daily life events. To explore the specific effects of emotional intelligence of college students’ self-control and social interactions on self-efficacy in terms of their ability to cope with stress, we explored the link between emotional intelligence and self-efficacy and the mediating role of coping styles on both. In this study, we recruited 800 Chinese university students for a questionnaire survey using a random sampling method. We only obtained a valid sample of 717 (M = 18.88, SD = 1.61). Each participant completed a series of questionnaires, including the Sentiment Scale, Self-Efficacy Scale, and Coping Style Scale. Afterwards, data analysis was conducted using SPSS 20.0 and AMOS 22.0 to develop structural equation models. The results showed that emotional intelligence not only directly affects self-efficacy, but also indirectly affects self-efficacy through coping styles. The results of the study indicate that college students who assess their self-efficacy based on their emotional state and who are able to manage their emotions will experience more positive feelings psychologically and behaviorally, and thus achieve higher self-efficacy in activities such as classes, internships, and employment interactions.