Assessment of emotional intelligence and perceived stress in pharmacy students at a Nigerian university

Background: Emotional intelligence (EI) is essential in personal lives and professional relations. Its influence on academic performance has been demonstrated. This study assessed EI and perceived stress in undergraduate pharmacy students at a Nigerian university. Methods: A cross-sectional studywas conducted in a Nigerian federal university among pharmacy students enrolled via convenient sampling. EI was measured through the Schutte Self-Report Emotional Intelligence Test (SSEIT), a 33-item validated instrument with four subscales consisting of 30 positive questions and three negative questions. Perceived stress was assessed using the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10), a 10-item validated stress assessment tool. Results: A total of 740 questionnaires were returned and analysed. More than half of the respondents were female (55.3%), single (94.1%), and between 22 and 25 years old (59.1%). About 25% of pharmacy students were in the 200 level. The means of EI and perceived stress were 126.2 +/- 15.9 and 20.5 +/- 5.0, respectively. Most students had high EI (53.0%) and high perceived stress (58.2%). Conclusion: Pharmacy students demonstrated high emotional intelligence and perceived stress.