Academic stress and attitudes toward seeking professional psychological help among Vietnamese students: the mediating role of emotional intelligence

Emotional Intelligence is a noteworthy concept in the academic environment due to its theoretical significance and practical implications. The objectives of this research were to investigate (1) the correlation between academic stress, attitudes toward seeking professional psychological help and emotional intelligence, and (2) the mediating role of emotional intelligence. An online questionnaire was administered to a convenience sample of 908 Vietnamese secondary school students. Three scales were employed to gather demographic variables and self-reported data, including The Wong and Law Emotional Intelligence Scale, The Educational Stress Scale for Adolescents, and Attitudes Toward Seeking Professional Psychological Help. The findings indicated substantial differences across many variables, such as gender, grade, and academic performance ranking. The investigation identified significant relationships, including the emotional intelligence of others’ emotion appraisal positively affects self-expectation, while self-emotion appraisal negatively influences self-expectation. The use of emotion was positively associated with the openness to seeking professional help. Moderation analyses revealed age moderating others’ emotion appraisal and despondency, self-emotion appraisal, and openness to seeking professional help. Emotional intelligence exerts a substantial influence on both academic stress levels and attitudes toward seeking professional psychological assistance. The results are analysed using the guidelines for conducting mixed-methods research. Workshops and awareness sessions for educators and students on emotional intelligence can be conducted with the cooperation of all parties concerned because of the endorsement of all stakeholders.