The emergence of Covid-19 significantly changed the educational system from a traditional

standard system to a virtual and online framework. In the context of pandemic and online
learning, students may experience high levels of stress if they are unable to meet academic
requirements or believe that the demands exceed their ability to complete tasks and
activities online. Academic stress is affected by how individuals adjust to situational
circumstances and the quantity of stresses they encounter. The perception of students’
stress as a result of the stimulus received in academic pressure, including workloads, time
constraints, and self-perceptions of one's abilities, is known as perceived academic stress.
The adverse consequence of students’ perception of stress is that the higher the learners'
perception in surveying academic demands come continuously as pressure, the higher the
degree of stress they feel (Bedewy and Gabriel, 2015). Oducado and Estoque (2021), found
out that online learning was stressful for undergraduate nursing students during the COVID-
19 outbreak. The results of their study revealed that online learning during the COVID-19
outbreak was stressful (44.4%) and highly stressful (47.2%) for undergraduate nursing
students. Therefore, stress was a key concern in online learning among nursing students
during the COVID-19 pandemic.

balancing academic and clinical demands.

In the context of pandemic and online learning, a moderate to high stress level among the
students in the virtual classrooms during the COVID-19 outbreak was similarly reported in a
study conducted in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (AlAteeq et al., 2020). Remote electronic
exams were also found more stressful by one-third of medical students (Elsalem et al.,
2020).
This may cause the student who have experienced an academic demands but they cannot handle
properly, and other demands arise at another time. Thus, students will easily assess these demands
as the cause of new stress.

The perception of academic stress is creating a very negative impact on their well-being,
their decision to choose career options, sleeping difficulties, psychosomatic complaints,
worrying about future, comorbid conditions like anxiety and depression, inability to manage
course workload, etc. (Bedewy and Gabriel, 2015; Acharya, 2003; Iqbal et al., 2015). 

Academic stress emerges out from experiencing stress due to factors such as scholarship
requirements, family-related pressures, competition in the class and course-related stress
and financial burdens, experienced by students. This always leads to a situation making
these children confused and under constant pressure to perform better, achieve better
grades, excel well in extracurricular activities, take up hobby classes and what not.
The perceived academic stress is the perception of students’ stress as result of the stimulus
received in academic pressure, both from workloads, time limits, and views on one's
abilities. The negative impact of students 'perceptions of stress is that the higher the
students' perceptions in assessing academic demands come continuously as pressure, the
higher the level of stress they feel (Bedewy and Gabriel, 2015).
Post-secondary students pursuing degrees in helping professions, such as nursing, may be
at an increased risk of experiencing high levels of stress. Stress has been related to poor
physical and psychological health among students. Balance between academic and clinical
demands is a source of stress for students in the helping professions, in addition to the
normal stressors connected with tertiary education. According to previous study, students'
perceived stress levels are linked to their emotional intelligence (EI) and coping techniques
(Enns et al., 2018). Examining the potential value of emotional intelligence (EI) as an
explanatory variable in the context of analyzing student emotions is also pertinent. Emotion
Regulation, a component of EI that appears to be particularly likely to support students in the
learning environment, because individuals who can regulate their emotions well are better
able to manage stress (Saklofske et al., 2012). Other emotional qualities, such as the ability
to recognize and comprehend emotions, are thought to aid in the process of establishing and
maintaining social support among students.

Enns, A., Eldridge, G. D., Montgomery, C., & Gonzalez, V. M. (2018). Perceived stress,
coping strategies, and emotional intelligence: A cross-sectional study of university students
in helping disciplines. Nurse education today, 68, 226-231.

Saklofske, D. H., Austin, E. J., Mastoras, S. M., Beaton, L., & Osborne, S. E. (2012).
Relationships of personality, affect, emotional intelligence and coping with student stress
and academic success: Different patterns of association for stress and success. Learning
and Individual Differences, 22(2), 251-257.

In addition to being of theoretical interest, if EI is found to be related to academic success

and/or academic adjustment, such findings would enable the development of intervention
programmes designed to enhance EI capabilities in vulnerable students.

Emotional intelligence consists of individual, personal, social competence and skills which
help individuals cope successfully with the incoming pressure and demand (Titrek, 2013)
Emotional intelligence is an emerging topic for educational, psychological and management
studies. The concept is rooted in the understanding of emotions of self, helping oneself to
direct the emotional reactions and labeling the experiences of different emotions and helping
others to understand and help people to channelize their emotions (Bliss, 2005). It also
refers to tackling emotional upsets, adapting ways and capacity to avoid emotional
exhaustion such as stress, emotional self-control, burnout and learning to avoid the
negativity of emotions and handling egoism (Sala, 2002; Chandra and Mathur, 2016, p.
231).

The emotional intelligence scale used in this study was developed by Hyde et
al. (2002), first administered on a sample of 200 Indian executives. The scale originally had
106 items, but after statistical analysis, only 34 items were included in the final version. The
scores assess individuals on “above average emotionally intelligent”, “below average
emotionally intelligent” and “average emotionally intelligent” (Suleman et al., 2019; Hyde et
al., 2002). 

During their elementary years of education, students were given a lot of exercises which
helps them to understand and become aware of their own emotions and practical
applications which help them to channelize their emotions in more constructive ways.
Students are observed to practice self-awareness, indulging in value-driven activities,
empathy and assertive and altruistic work behavior. A lot of academic activities like group
projects, team activities, role plays, etc. help them to develop all these along with their
academic achievement.

Bedewy, D., & Gabriel, A. (2015). Examining perceptions of academic stress and its sources
among university students: The Perception of Academic Stress Scale. Health psychology
open, 2(2), 2055102915596714.

Oducado, R. M., & Estoque, H. (2021). Online Learning in Nursing Education during the
COVID-19 Pandemic: Stress, Satisfaction, and Academic Performance. Journal Of Nursing
Practice, 4(2), 143-153.