Correlation of Psychological Manifestations in Nurses with the Level of their Emotional Intelligence

Introduction: Nurses, due to the stressful nature of their work, often present psychological problems. There is evidence to suggest that the psychological indicators of stress are associated with the level of their emotional intelligence. Aim: Literature review of emotional intelligence and its impact on psychological manifestations in nurses. Identification of stress indicators in nurses and investigation of the possible association of these symptoms with the level of emotional intelligence. Method: A literature search was made for research articles in the databases Medline and PubMed, for the years 1996 to 2013, using the key-words: “Emotional intelligence”, “nurses”, “psychological manifestations”, “stress”. Results: Nurses with high levels of emotional intelligence are reported to be much more effective in numerous key performance indicators, including stress management, indicating that the growth of emotional intelligence levels is vital for healthcare professionals and especially for those in leadership positions. It is important for nurses to be able to control their emotions and to recognize the emotions of others. Nurses with high levels of emotional intelligence appeared less likely to suffer from stress, depression or burnout; conversely, nurses with low levels of emotional intelligence were reported more prone to develop these conditions. Emotional intelligence allows nurses to deal with stress better, thus contributing to maintenance of their wellbeing and mental health, and to their career development. Conclusions: A high level of emotional intelligence in nurses is a positive element in controlling and improving stress levels, protecting against burnout and ensuring quality of life, work satisfaction, effective conflict management and patient satisfaction. Recognition of the role of emotional intelligence is important in the early stages of the nursing career because it provides the opportunity for early identification and management of the causes of work related stress and professional burnout syndrome in nurses. This in its turn results in an increase of work satisfaction in nurses and maintains their intention to continue working in their chosen career.

Category: Volume 53, N 4
Hits: 604 Hits
Created Date: 15-12-2014
Authors: Xristina Kontou , Georgios Kallergis