Article Title: Emotional Intelligence, Religious Orientation, and Mental Health Among University Students
Author(s): Farva Mansoor Butt
Institute(s): Goethe University Frankfurt, Goethe Strasse 86, 63067 Offenbach am Main Germany.
Journal: Pakistan Journal of Psychological Research, 2014, Vol. 29, No. 1, 01-19
Correspondence Address: Farva Mansoor Butt, Goethe Strasse 86, 63067 Offenbach am Main Germany. Email: Farva_malik@hotmail.com
Abstract
Present research explored the relationship among emotional intelligence, religious orientation and mental health of university students. It was assumed that emotional intelligence would be a better predictor of psychological well-being than religious orientation. To study the effect of religious orientation and emotional intelligence on psychological distress and to investigate the role of religiosity in development of emotional intelligence were also focal points of research. The purposive convenient sample included 209 students (89 men and 120 women) from GC University, Lahore, Pakistan. Beck Depression Inventory (Beck, Steer, & Brown, 1996), Positive and Negative Affectivity Scale (Watson, Clark, & Tellegen, 1988), Trait Anxiety Scale (Speilberger, Gorsuch, Lushene, Vagg, & Jacobs, 1983), Age-Universal I-E Scale (Maltby, 1999), Emotional Intelligence Scale (Schutte et al., 1998), and Well-being Manifestation Measure Scale (Masse et al., 1998) were administered to the participants. Results indicated significant positive relationship among emotional intelligence, religious orientation, and psychological well-being while emotional intelligence and religious orientation both have significant negative association with psychological distress. Results of multiple regression showed that emotional intelligence and religious orientation have significant effect on psychological distress. Moreover, emotional intelligence was a better predictor of psychological well-being than religious orientation, while religious orientation also has significant predictive association with emotional intelligence.
Keywords: Emotional intelligence, religious orientation, psychological well-being, psychological distress
