Emotional Intelligence and Its Impact on the Emotional Factors among Nurses

Aims: Emotional intelligence (EI) has been extensively studied in workplace settings. In the nursing field, however, the research data is limited. This study aimed to estimate the EI of nursing personnel in public hospitals in Cyprus, determine which factors were associated with EI, and examine how EI correlated with the emotional state (i.e., anxiety, stress and depression).

Study Design: The study design was cross-sectional.

Place and Duration of Study: The population under examination was derived from a reference population of nursing staff working in public hospitals in Cyprus between April and May of 2016.

Methodology: A total of 585 nurses completed the Greek Emotional Intelligence Scale (GEIS), consisting of 52 items measuring four basic emotional skills (expression and recognition of emotions, control of emotions, use of emotions to facilitate thinking, and caring and empathy), and the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS 21), as well as questions regarding demographic, socioeconomic and occupational characteristics.

Results: The EI total mean score was 184.30. The nurses aged 36–50 years old had the highest EI scores (mean = 191.5, p = .000), with a positive effect on the EI coming from years of service (>12 years, p = .01), leadership positions (p = .003), being married (p = .02) and having children (p = .001). The overall ΕΙ scores had a moderate negative correlation with the emotional state of the nurses (depression r = -454, p = .000; stress r = -415, p = .000; anxiety r = -390, p = .000).

Conclusion: The present study revealed suboptimal EI scores and confirmed the negative relationship with the emotional state of nurses. Based on the literature, the EI can be developed; therefore, suitable programs could substantially improve the emotional skills in nursing personnel.