EXPLORING JOB STRESS, EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE AND JOB INVOLVEMENT IN A SAMPLE OF NIGERIAN AIRFORCE PERSONNEL

Abstract

This cross-sectional study anchored on the theoretical assumption of theintegrated theory of job involvement investigated job stress and emotional intelligence aspredictors of job involvement in a sample of Nigerian Air Force personnel in Enugu, Nigeria.Two hundred and nine (209) Air Force personnel, comprising 159 males and 50 femalesbetween the ages of 19 and 58 years (M=31.13; SD=5.58), participated in the study. Theywere selected via a two-stage (cluster and purposive) sampling technique. The 15-item job-related tension scale, 14-item emotional intelligence scale, and 20-item job involvement scalewere completed by the participants. The results of multiple regression analysis revealed thatjob stress independently did not predict job involvement; emotional intelligenceindependently did not predict job involvement; and job stress and emotional intelligencejointly predicted job involvement. Job stress and emotional intelligence accounted for 23% ofthe variation in the job involvement of Air Force personnel. In view of these findings, thisstudy has recommended that policy makers in the Nigerian Air Force should consider jobstress and emotional intelligence to increase job involvement among Air Force personnel.