The Relationship Between Emotional Intelligence and Stress Among Pharmacy Students at Universiti Teknologi MARA Puncak Alam During COVID-19 Pandemic

Emotional intelligence (EI), which is described as a set of skills to recognise and control one’s own emotions and other people, is believed to act as a protective factor against negative stress. Recently, stress and online learning readiness (OLR) have become an increasing concern among the students during the recent COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the relationship between EI and demographic profiles (gender, year of study and geographical living area), and to find the correlation between EI and stress, as well as between stress and OLR among the pharmacy students during the pandemic. This study involved a cross-sectional correlational study, where an online-based survey was performed involving 315 pharmacy students, from first to the fourth year, at Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Puncak Alam, Malaysia. Three valid and reliable questionnaires were used namely Universiti Sains Malaysia Emotional Quotient Inventory (USMEQ-i), Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), and Online Learning Readiness Scale (OLRS). The data were analysed by SPSS software version 27. In the study, the respondents’ EI was at the average level. No association between EI and demographic profiles was found. A weak negative correlation was found between EI and stress r(313) = –0.272, p < 0.05 as well as between stress and OLR, r(313) = –0.320, p < 0.05. This study suggested that EI could act as a protective element against stress since both were negatively correlated. A negative correlation found between stress and OLR reflects that increased stress levels can potentially give a negative impact on the OLR of the pharmacy students in UiTM Puncak Alam.