The mediating role of emotional empathy in the relationship between nursing students' emotional intelligence levels and their self-efficacy in pain management
{"title":"The mediating role of emotional empathy in the relationship between nursing students' emotional intelligence levels and their self-efficacy in pain management","authors":"Ilkay CULHA","doi":"10.1016/j.nedt.2025.106682","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>In nursing care emotional intelligence and emotional empathy are important competencies, so determining their roles in pain management self-efficacy has become required for nursing students.</div></div><div><h3>Aim</h3><div>To determine the mediating role of emotional empathy in the relationship between nursing students' emotional intelligence levels and their pain management self-efficacy.</div></div><div><h3>Design</h3><div>This is a cross-sectional and correlational study.</div></div><div><h3>Settings</h3><div>The study was conducted at a nursing department of a state university in Turkey between 15 May-31 June 2024 in the spring semester of the 2023‐2024 academic year.</div></div><div><h3>Participants</h3><div>The study population consisted of 2nd, 3rd, and 4th year nursing students with clinical practice experience (<em>N</em> = 326).</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Data were collected with personal information form, emotional intelligence trait scale short form, pain management self-efficacy scale, and multidimensional emotional empathy scale. Pearson r correlation, linear regression analysis and PROCESS Macro simple mediation analysis were used for advanced data analyses.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>There were statistically significant and moderate positive correlation between emotional intelligence and pain management self-efficacy levels (<em>r</em> = 0.361, <em>p</em> < 0.01), emotional intelligence and emotional empathy levels (<em>r</em> = 0.343, <em>p</em> < 0.01), and pain management self-efficacy and emotional empathy levels (<em>r</em> = 0.358, <em>p</em> < 0.01) of the students. Emotional intelligence and emotional empathy were predictors of pain management self-efficacy (13 % and 12.8 %, respectively). Emotional empathy had a partial mediating role in the relationship between emotional intelligence and pain management self-efficacy (indirect effect = 0.1246, 95 % CI = <em>[0.0667, 0.1987]</em>).</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>Emotional intelligence, emotional empathy, and pain management self-efficacy were positively correlated. Emotional intelligence and emotional empathy can be predictors for pain management self-efficacy. Emotional empathy was a partial mediator that enables nursing students' emotional intelligence skills to reflect on their pain management self-efficacy.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54704,"journal":{"name":"Nurse Education Today","volume":"150 ","pages":"Article 106682"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6000,"publicationDate":"2025-03-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Nurse Education Today","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0260691725001170","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"EDUCATION, SCIENTIFIC DISCIPLINES","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background
In nursing care emotional intelligence and emotional empathy are important competencies, so determining their roles in pain management self-efficacy has become required for nursing students.
Aim
To determine the mediating role of emotional empathy in the relationship between nursing students' emotional intelligence levels and their pain management self-efficacy.
Design
This is a cross-sectional and correlational study.
Settings
The study was conducted at a nursing department of a state university in Turkey between 15 May-31 June 2024 in the spring semester of the 2023‐2024 academic year.
Participants
The study population consisted of 2nd, 3rd, and 4th year nursing students with clinical practice experience (N = 326).
Methods
Data were collected with personal information form, emotional intelligence trait scale short form, pain management self-efficacy scale, and multidimensional emotional empathy scale. Pearson r correlation, linear regression analysis and PROCESS Macro simple mediation analysis were used for advanced data analyses.
Results
There were statistically significant and moderate positive correlation between emotional intelligence and pain management self-efficacy levels (r = 0.361, p < 0.01), emotional intelligence and emotional empathy levels (r = 0.343, p < 0.01), and pain management self-efficacy and emotional empathy levels (r = 0.358, p < 0.01) of the students. Emotional intelligence and emotional empathy were predictors of pain management self-efficacy (13 % and 12.8 %, respectively). Emotional empathy had a partial mediating role in the relationship between emotional intelligence and pain management self-efficacy (indirect effect = 0.1246, 95 % CI = [0.0667, 0.1987]).
Conclusions
Emotional intelligence, emotional empathy, and pain management self-efficacy were positively correlated. Emotional intelligence and emotional empathy can be predictors for pain management self-efficacy. Emotional empathy was a partial mediator that enables nursing students' emotional intelligence skills to reflect on their pain management self-efficacy.
期刊介绍：
Nurse Education Today is the leading international journal providing a forum for the publication of high quality original research, review and debate in the discussion of nursing, midwifery and interprofessional health care education, publishing papers which contribute to the advancement of educational theory and pedagogy that support the evidence-based practice for educationalists worldwide. The journal stimulates and values critical scholarly debate on issues that have strategic relevance for leaders of health care education.
The journal publishes the highest quality scholarly contributions reflecting the diversity of people, health and education systems worldwide, by publishing research that employs rigorous methodology as well as by publishing papers that highlight the theoretical underpinnings of education and systems globally. The journal will publish papers that show depth, rigour, originality and high standards of presentation, in particular, work that is original, analytical and constructively critical of both previous work and current initiatives.
Authors are invited to submit original research, systematic and scholarly reviews, and critical papers which will stimulate debate on research, policy, theory or philosophy of nursing and related health care education, and which will meet and develop the journal''s high academic and ethical standards.
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