Emotional intelligence protects nurses against quiet quitting, turnover intention, and job burnout.

Background: Emotional intelligence can improve nurses' interpersonal and coping skills, job performance, and resilience. However, there is a dearth in the literature on whether emotional intelligence affects levels of quiet quitting, turnover intention, and job burnout in nurses.

Objective: We examined the relationship between emotional intelligence, quiet quitting, turnover intention, and job burnout.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study in Greece with a convenience sample of 992 nurses. We used the following valid tools to measure our study variables: the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire-Short Form, the Quiet Quitting Scale, and the single item burnout measure.

Results: The mean age of our nurses was 42.2 years. After controlling for gender, age, work experience, shift work, and understaffed department, the multivariable linear regression models indicated significant negative relationships between emotional intelligence and quiet quitting, turnover intention, and job burnout. Specifically, self-control reduced detachment, lack of motivation, job burnout, and turnover intention. Moreover, emotionality reduced detachment, lack of motivation, and lack of initiative. Sociability reduced lack of initiative and lack of motivation, while well-being reduced lack of motivation, job burnout, and turnover intention.

Conclusion: Emotional intelligence reduced quiet quitting, turnover intention, and job burnout in nurses. Therefore, nurse managers and policy-makers should apply interventions to optimize the emotional intelligence profiles of nurses.