International Journal of Collaborative Research on Internal Medicine & Public Health

The Effect of Teaching Emotional Intelligence (EI) Items on Job Related Stress in Physicians and Nurses Working in ICU Wards in Hospitals, Yerevan, Armenia

Background: Intensive care units (ICUs) are known as stressful environments. However, the conditions in which stressors may affect health professionals’ performance and well-being and the conditions that potentially lead to impaired performance and staff’s psychological distress are not well understood. Emotional intelligence, an essential factor responsible for determining success in life and psychological well-being, seems to play an important role in shaping the interaction between individuals and their work environment. The emotional dimension (personal) is the concept of multi-dimensional intelligence, it is also necessary for physicians and nurses to learn how to view and understand people’s behavior, attitudes, interpersonal skills and potential. Individuals who have these characteristics are said to be “emotionally intelligent.”

Objectives: The objective of the study is to determine the effects of emotional intelligence education items on job related stress in physicians and nurses working in intensive care units in hospitals in Yerevan, Armenia.

Method: A cross interventional, pre-post, case and control group design was used and inferential study design was implemented, with 150 registered hospitals physicians and nurses, who were widely distributed.

Results: A sample of 106 participants (18.7% of men and 31.3% of women in case and control group), representing various human service professions (physicians, nurses) was eligible for the study. The mean age of the participants was 33.19 years in case group (SD = 6.44), and 31.6 in control group (SD = 6.04), and the employment period was 8.2 years (SD = 7.34) in case group and 5.57 years (SD = 4.02) in control group. The results confirmed an essential, very strong, role of emotional intelligence in perceiving occupational stress and preventing physicians and nurses from negative health outcomes.

Conclusion: Results showed that physicians and nurses experienced high level of stress. The level of stress experienced at work by this occupational case was higher than control group. The ability to effectively deal with emotions and emotional intelligence in the workplace assists employees in coping with occupational stress. Therefore, it should be developed in stress managing trainings. Emotional intelligence items education decreased situational and personal anxiety of physicians and nurses in case group more than those in control group.

Author(s): Nooryan Kh. , Gasparyan Kh. , Sharif F. , Zoladl M.

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