An emotional competences in higher education: an multidimensional study on gender, academic discipline and educational stage

Abstract This study examines emotional competencies in 1828 university students from four universities in northern Spain, adopting a multidimensional approach to analyze emotional attention, clarity, and regulation according to gender, academic discipline, and educational stage. Emotional competencies were assessed through the TMMS-24, and statistical analyses included normality tests (Shapiro–Wilk), homogeneity tests (Levene), ANOVA, and t -tests for group comparisons. The findings indicate that women show higher emotional attention, while men report stronger emotional regulation, with no significant differences in emotional clarity. Students enrolled in social sciences and humanities display the highest levels of emotional attention, whereas those in technological disciplines obtain the highest scores in emotional regulation. Postgraduate students outperform undergraduates in emotional attention and regulation, suggesting greater socioemotional maturity associated with advanced academic experience. These results point to the influence of gender socialization processes, academic environments, and developmental trajectories on emotional competencies. The study underscores the relevance of emotional coeducation as an inclusive, adaptive, and equity-oriented strategy to reduce emotional inequalities and promote comprehensive development across university contexts.