Assessing emotional intelligence and its relationship with demographic factors of nursing students

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Emotional intelligence is a social intelligence identifying the ability to adjust one self's emotions with others. Emotional intelligence is considered as an important characteristic for nurses. The aim of this research was to assess the emotional intelligence of nursing students and its relation with some personal and social.

METHODS: This was a descriptive correlation study. The study population included all the nursing students in Tabriz School of nursing and midwifery (144) selected by sample using census method. To assess the emotional intelligence, we used BarOn EQ-i, which includes 90 questions in 5 categories and 15 scales scoring in a range between 90 and 450. In addition, some personal and social demographic data were gathered from the students' educational files. Data were analyzed using SPSS-13 and descriptive and inferential statistics.

RESULTS: The students' mean score of emotional intelligence was 332.08 ±39.08. There was no significant relation between emotional intelligence score and sex, education, and students' interest in nursing. However, there was a significant relation between emotional intelligence score and the students' satisfaction of their family socio-economic status.

DISCUSSION: Emotional intelligence of nursing students in Tabriz School of Nursing and Midwifery was in a good level. Considering the significant relation between satisfaction with life and emotional intelligence, it seems that improving the quality and quantity of counseling programs for increasing the students' satisfaction from life, may improve the students' emotional intelligence. However, lack of research evidences about relationship between demographic factors and emotional intelligence needs further studies.

KEY WORDS: Intelligence, emotional intelligence, nursing students.