IJERPH, Vol. 19, Pages 12499: Students at Risk: Self-Esteem, Optimism and Emotional Intelligence in Post-Pandemic Times? (International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health)

Understanding the emotional profile of students during their training, as well as associated psychosocial factors such as optimism versus pessimism and self-esteem, is critical to improving student performance, especially in the post-pandemic period. In this study, 798 university students participated, belonging to the Degrees of Early Childhood and Primary Education, with a mean age of 24.52 years (±5.48). The following instruments were used: Wong Law Emotional Intelligence Scale (WLEIS-S), Life Orientation Test Revised (LOT-R) and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES). The objective was to determine the predictive value of self-esteem on emotional intelligence and optimism vs. pessimism. A positive relationship between several dimensions of the instruments used (p < 0.01) were found. Moreover, the regression model predicted an association between emotional intelligence (use of emotions), pessimism and self-esteem. The practical consequences suggest the importance of the acquisition of emotional competences by university students is essential to obtain higher performances.