Correlation of Emotional Intelligence and Coping Styles for Academic Stress with the Academic Performance of Medical Undergraduates: A Cross-sectional Study in Western Maharashtra, India

Introduction: Undergraduate medical students often experience considerable academic stress. Emotional Intelligence (EI) and coping strategies are key factors in stress management. Given that Academic Performance (AP) is a primary source of stress for these students, it is crucial to explore how psychological resources such as EI and coping mechanisms affect their AP. However, this relationship has not been thoroughly investigated in the context of Indian medical education. Aim: To investigate the correlation between EI and coping styles for academic stress in relation to AP as well as to explore the interrelationship between EI and coping styles among undergraduate medical students. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional analytical study was conducted at SMBT Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Centre, Nandi Hills, Dhamangaon, Igatpuri, Nashik, Maharashtra, India, from October 2024 to July 2025. The study involved 178 undergraduate of Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) students from all four years. EI and broad coping styles were assessed using the Schutte SelfReport Emotional Intelligence Test (SSEIT) and the Brief-COPE inventory, respectively. AP was defined as the percentage score obtained in the most recent university theory examinations. Spearman’s correlation was used to measure the strength of the association between EI, coping styles and AP. Statistical significance was set at p-value <0.05. Results: The mean age of the study population was 20.79±1.4 years. 51.12% of participants were female and the rest were male. The Mean±Standard Deviation (SD) of the EI score was 124.11±10.84. No significant correlation was observed between AP and EI (r-value=-0.034, p-value=0.648) or any broad coping style. However, EI was significantly correlated with problemfocused coping (r-value=0.489, p-value <0.001). The mediation analysis indicated that coping strategies did not mediate the relationship between EI and students’ AP. Conclusion: No significant correlation was found between EI, coping strategies and AP. However, the correlation between EI and problem-focused coping highlights the role of EI in developing adaptive stress management strategies. These findings suggest the potential value of integrating EI and coping skills training into medical education to enhance students’ psychological resilience.