Emotional variables, dropout and academic performance in Spanish nursing students.
The dropout of university studies is a main concern in many countries, also for Health Sciences degrees. The reviews on dropout in all university degrees as well as nursing generally show multidimensional causes with factors related both to institutional and students' characteristics. Regarding the personal variables of students, researchers have focused on financial, family and personality features. Far less attention has been devoted to emotional variables. This study aims to explore whether individual variables of the emotional domain such as perceived emotional intelligence, dispositional optimism/pessimism and depressive rumination are related and/or can predict students' intention to dropout and academic performance. Using a cross-correlational approach, data were obtained from a sample of 144 nursing students. Students with a pessimistic disposition revealed a greater tendency to drop out. The remaining variables correlated significantly with pessimism but had no predictive value on dropout. Our results suggest that students with low levels of emotional clarity and repair and high depressive rumination have pessimistic expectations, so they are more likely to leave studies. No significant results were found in relation to academic performance. We conclude with an identification of strategies to increase retention and academic success.
['Roso-Bas|Fátima|F|', 'Pades Jiménez|Antonia|A|', 'García-Buades|Esther|E|']
D000328:Adult D004508:Education, Nursing, Baccalaureate D004522:Educational Status D056348:Emotional Intelligence D004644:Emotions D005260:Female D006801:Humans D008297:Male D008875:Middle Aged D000067657:Pessimism D057566:Self Report D013030:Spain D013332:Student Dropouts D013338:Students, Nursing D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires D055815:Young Adult
Academic performance Emotional intelligence Dispositional optimism/pessimism Rumination Student dropout