Aim: To assess the mediating role of emotion regulation and emotional intelligence in the relationship between stress and academic engagement among Saudi undergraduate nursing students.
Design: This study employed a quantitative cross-sectional research design.
Methods: The study recruited 367 Saudi undergraduate nursing students at a major Saudi university. Structural equation modelling was used to explore the mediational model.
Results: The results of the ANOVA and Welch F-test demonstrated that the emotional intelligence, emotional regulation and academic engagement scores were statistically significantly different according to stress levels (p-values <0.01). Perceived stress has a statistically significant moderate negative correlation with academic engagement and emotional intelligence and a strong negative correlation with emotional regulation. The results also showed that academic engagement had a statistically significant moderate positive association with emotional intelligence and emotional regulation. Results indicate that stress and academic engagement are negatively correlated among Saudi undergraduate nursing students. It focuses on the balancing functions of emotional regulation and emotional intelligence, highlighting their ability to lower stress levels and improve academic engagement. No Patient or Public Contribution.
Keywords: academic engagement; emotional intelligence; nursing students; self‐esteem.
© 2024 The Authors. Nursing Open published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.