The relationship between academic stress, emotional well-being, and learning in ecuadorian higher education

Abstract

This study analyzed the relationship between academic stress, emotional well-being, and learning in Ecuadorian higher education through a qualitative documentary review. The corpus comprised 29 documents: 17 scientific articles, five legal and public-policy sources, four institutional documents, and three official statistical reports. The findings showed that academic stress is associated with overload, assessment pressure, limited time, anxiety, depression, sleep disturbances, concentration difficulties, and lower university adjustment. Emotional well-being was linked to self-acceptance, autonomy, emotional regulation, and emotional intelligence, although its associations with academic performance were generally weak or non-significant. University learning was understood as a process involving concentration, motivation, self-regulation, participation, performance, and student retention. The comparison of sources revealed agreements among the scientific literature, legal framework, and university services, as well as limitations in coverage, evaluation, and generalization. INEC data provided context regarding inequalities in connectivity, employment, and poverty without attributing them directly to university students. It is concluded that these variables maintain complex and non-causal relationships; therefore, institutions should combine prevention, psychopedagogical support, tutoring, balanced assessment planning, financial assistance, and ethical monitoring based on relevant indicators. Such integration may foster coordinated, inclusive, and sustainable institutional responses.