Emotional competence and stress among adolescents

Background of the study: Emotional competence also reflects abilities to join intelligence, empathy and emotions to enhance thought and understanding of interpersonal dynamics. Stress is the term often used to describe distress, fatigue and feelings of not being able to cope. It refers both to the circumstances that place physical or psychological demands on an individual and to the emotional reactions experiences in these situations.
Aim of the Study: To assess the Emotional Competence and Stress among Adolescents studying in Hucheshwar High School, Kamatagi, Bagalkot.
Methodology: Non Experimental approach with descriptive correlation survey research design was used for the study to accomplish the objectives. Structured Emotional Competence scale and Cohen’s Perceived stress scale were used to collect the data. A sample of 100 adolescents was selected by stratified proportionate random sampling technique. The data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics.
Results: Assessment of levels of emotional competence and stress among adolescents reveals that, the majority of adolescents (75%) had good emotional competence and majority of adolescents (74%) had moderate stress. A Negative correlation (r=-0.38) found between emotional competence and stress.
The findings regarding association of the emotional competence of adolescents with their selected socio-demographic variables shows that, significant association was found between the emotional competence and age of adolescents (χ2= 5.84; P<0.05), year of study (χ2= 4.5; P<0.05) and family monthly income (χ2= 6.13; P<0.05. No significant association was found between stress levels of adolescents with their any of the socio-demographic variables.
Interpretation and Conclusion:The overall findings of the study revealed that there was a negative correlation found between emotional competence and stress among adolescents.