An Assessment of Perceived Emotional Intelligence and Health Behaviors among College Students

The purpose of this study was to assess the relationship between perceived emotional intelligence (i.e., recognizing, expressing, monitoring, managing, and reflecting on emotions) (Presbury, Echterling, & McKee, 2007) and self-reported health behaviors among college students. A convenience sample of 418 undergraduates completed online surveys consisting of items from the Brief Stress and Coping Inventory (Rahe & Tolles, 2002) which includes measures of health behaviors, conceptualized as coping responses to stress, and the 30-item Trait Meta-Mood Scale (Salovey, Mayer, Goldman, Turvey, & Palfai, 1995) which measures perceived emotional intelligence. Logistic regression analyses revealed relationships among perceived emotional intelligence factors (i.e., attention, clarity, and repair), gender, and a number of health behaviors: consuming more than seven alcoholic drinks per week, eating meals in pleasant surroundings, eating meals slowly and calmly, exercising at work/home, exercising moderately and regularly, exercising vigorously and regularly, controlling pace of life, and maintaining suffi cient energy reserve (p < 0.05). Independent t-tests revealed that females reported higher levels of emotional attention than males (M = 48.37, M = 44.12; p < 0.001). Twoway contingency table analyses indicated that females were more likely to eat meals in pleasant surroundings and exercise at work/home, while males were more apt to consume more than seven alcoholic drinks per week, exercise vigorously and regularly, maintain suffi cient energy reserve, and acquire suffi cient sleep (p < 0.05). Results suggest that emotional intelligence has the potential to offset behaviors that have been associated with higher levels of morbidity and mortality. Gender differences regarding emotional intelligence and health behaviors warrant additional research. Background Many researchers have demonstrated the linkage between stress and illness. Stress has been associated with the development of heart disease (Jacobs, Schultz, & Welch, 2003; Jacobs & Stone, 1999; Merz et al., 2002), infectious diseases (Solomon, 2001), and other physical ailments. Similarly, stress has been linked to the emergence of depression, anxiety, eating disorders, and suicide (National Mental Health Association, n.d.). The latter issues represent salient health concerns among college student populations (American College Health Association, 2008). The Healthy People 2010 objectives indicate the need to address mental and emotional disturbances in the United States through prevention and control of stress (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2000). On a macro level, stress materializes from racism, socioeconomic status, poor living conditions, jobs characterized by high levels of demand and low levels of control, and other forms of inequity (Williams, 2008a; Williams, 2008b). From a micro perspective, a recent American Psychological Association (2007) report indicated that stress among U.S. adults manifests through unhealthy behaviors such as tobacco use, excessive alcohol use, sleeplessness, and irregular dietary patterns (e.g., overeating, missing meals, etc.). According to the report, “Young people are more affected by unhealthy stress management behaviors such as smoking, losing sleep, and skipping meals” (p. 16). In addition to age-related differences, the report points to known gender differences regarding stress-related behaviors. For example, “women are more likely to report sleep problems, overeating, skipping meals, and using prescription medications as a result of stress” (p. 12). Colleges/universities represent one of many settings for addressing the nation’s health objectives. According to the most recent fi ndings from the American College Health Assessment, stress represents the leading obstacle to academic success among college students followed by sleep diffi culty, cold/fl u/sore throat, concern for a troubled friend or family member, depression/anxiety disorder/seasonal affective disorder, and relationship diffi culty (American College Health Association, 2008). Students face multiple stressors throughout their college experiences. Freshmen, in particular, are vulnerable to the stress of psychologically and environmentally adjusting to the college experience. According to the National Mental Health Association (2007), “Over 30% of freshmen report feeling stressed and ‘frequently overwhelmed’ by everything they have to do.” Individuals’ perceptions, accurate or inaccurate, about stress can have profound health implications. For example,