TITLE:
The Relationship between Social Anxiety and Emotional Intelligence among College Students: Analysis of the Mediating Effect of General Self-Efficacy
AUTHORS:
Yangshu Ru, Norlizah Che Hassan, Nur Aimi Nasuha Burhanuddin
KEYWORDS:
Social Anxiety, Emotional Intelligence, General Self-Efficacy, College Students
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Social Sciences,
Vol.13 No.12,
December
23,
2025
ABSTRACT: This study explored the mechanisms underlying the relationship between social anxiety, emotional intelligence, and general self-efficacy among university students. The study participants were 461 first- to fourth-year undergraduate students from Guangxi Minzu University. Three validated questionnaires were administered: the Interaction Anxiousness Scale (IAS), the Wong and Law Emotional Intelligence Scale (WLEIS), and the General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES). After collecting 505 questionnaires, 461 valid responses were retained for analysis. Differences and correlations in social anxiety, emotional intelligence, and general self-efficacy were analyzed in terms of sex, grade level, and ethnicity. Additionally, a mediation analysis was conducted using bootstrapping procedures to examine the relationships among emotional intelligence, social anxiety, and general self-efficacy. The results indicated that: 1) Significant differences were found in social anxiety and general self-efficacy between sexes, while no significant differences were observed across grade level and ethnicity. 2) Emotional intelligence was significantly and negatively correlated with social anxiety. 3) General self-efficacy was significantly and negatively correlated with social anxiety. 4) General self-efficacy was significantly and positively correlated with emotional intelligence. 5) Crucially, general self-efficacy played a significant mediating role in the relationship between social anxiety and emotional intelligence. These findings suggest that interventions targeting general self-efficacy may be a promising avenue for mitigating the negative impact of social anxiety on college students’ emotional intelligence. Keywords: social anxiety; emotional intelligence; self-efficacy; mediating effect