Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024 Dec 18;12(1):732.
doi: 10.1186/s40359-024-02284-6.

Exploring the interplay of academic stress, motivation, emotional intelligence, and mindfulness in higher education: a longitudinal cross-lagged panel model approach

Shan Zhang  1 , Shazia Rehman  2 , Yali Zhao  3 , Erum Rehman  4 , Bushra Yaqoob  5
Affiliations

Exploring the interplay of academic stress, motivation, emotional intelligence, and mindfulness in higher education: a longitudinal cross-lagged panel model approach

Shan Zhang et al. BMC Psychol. .

Abstract

Students in higher education often encounter significant academic pressure, which can have profound implications for their mental health and academic performance. The current study employs a two-wave longitudinal design to investigate the dynamic interrelationships among academic stress, academic motivation, emotional intelligence, and mindfulness. The study employed a cross-lagged panel model to investigate the temporal interactions among these four constructs and their influence on the academic experiences of doctoral students. The sample consisted of 643 individuals at Time 1 (September/October 2022), followed by a subsequent assessment involving 413 participants (July/August 2023). Notably, there was an overlap of 373 participants who were evaluated at both time points. The results indicated the presence of substantial reciprocal relationships among the constructs under investigation. The outcomes indicated that elevated emotional intelligence and mindfulness levels are associated with reduced academic stress and enhanced motivation. The implications of this analysis underscore the necessity of facilitating interventions aimed at enhancing emotional intelligence and mindfulness. These components are instrumental in promoting resilience and supporting academic success among students. These longitudinal insights hold significant importance within the academic literature as they elucidate the various stressors doctoral students encounter. Furthermore, this research provides practical implications for educators and policymakers in formulating targeted strategies to enhance student well-being and improve educational outcomes.

Keywords: Academic motivation; Academic stress; Cross-lagged panel model; Doctoral students; Emotional intelligence; Mindfulness.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Informed consent: Informed consent was obtained from all subjects involved in the study. Consent to publish: Not applicable. Institutional review board statement: The study was conducted according to the guidelines of the Declaration of Helsinki, and approved by the Ethics Review Committee of the Women University, Multan (ref#WU-01681/23). Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Study’s unique contributions
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Components of academic stress, motivation, emotional intelligence, and mindfulness
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Path models for investigating CLPM analysis
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Cross-lagged path analysis among study variables at two timeframes (T1: baseline period, T2: one-year interval). **p < 0.01. ***p < 0.001
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Karaman MA, Lerma E, Vela JC, Watson JC. Predictors of academic stress among college students. J Coll Couns. 2019;22(1):41–55.
    1. Khan MJ, Altaf S, Kausar H. Effect of Perceived Academic Stress on Students’ Performance. FWU J Soc Sci, 2013;7(2).
    1. Ang RP, Huan VS. Academic expectations stress inventory: Development, factor analysis, reliability, and validity. Educ Psychol Meas. 2006;66(3):522–39.
    1. Deb S, Strodl E, Sun H. Academic stress, parental pressure, anxiety and mental health among Indian high school students. Int J Psychol Behav Sci. 2015;5(1):26–34.
    1. Sangma ZM, Shantibala K, Akoijam S, Maisnam AB, Visi V. Perception of students on parental and teachers’ pressure on their academic performance. IOSR J Dent Med Sci. 2018;17(1):67–75.

LinkOut - more resources