Evaluating the Influence of Emotional Intelligence on Occupational Stress Regulation Among Healthcare Professionals in Kerala

Abstract

Nurses operating in medical establishments often have to deal with high levels of workload, emotional labor, shifts, interpersonal issues, and decision-making processes, thus necessitating occupational stress management strategies. Emotional Intelligence (EI) can offer the emotional and interpersonal skills needed by nurses to manage work-related stresses. Nevertheless, there has been little research done on the effect of EI dimensions on stress management by nurses in Kerala. The study used a quantitative research methodology for investigating the impact of five different EI constructs – self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skills – on stress management among nurses in medical institutions in the state of Kerala. The primary data were collected using a structured questionnaire from 100 nurses during the period of October-December 2024. Internal consistency of the scale used for measuring the variables showed an acceptable value of Cronbach's alpha, which was 0.776. The KMO value, which is 0.791, shows that sampling is adequate. There were positive correlations between stress management and each of the five dimensions of EI. The highest correlation was established for motivation (r = 0.714), followed by empathy (r = 0.697), self-awareness (r = 0.696), social skills (r = 0.646), and self-regulation (r = 0.642). There was strong explanatory power of the dependent variable by the multiple regression model (R = 0.765; R² = 0.663; adjusted R² = 0.654). This means that the five dimensions of emotional intelligence accounted for 66.3% of the variability in stress management. Social skills were the most influential predictors (β = 0.490), followed by motivation (β = 0.287) and self-awareness (β = 0.232). This study reveals that EI is a significant predictor in determining the stress management abilities of nurses. EI training programs, especially in social skills, motivation, and self-awareness, could be of great value in nurse education.