Exploring the Mediating Effect of Emotional Intelligence on Perceived Stress and Interpersonal Relationships Among Nursing Students

The aims of this study were twofold: 1. exploring the relationships of perceived stress (includes three types of emotions: stress, depression, and anxiety), emotional intelligence, and interpersonal relationships among nursing students, and 2. examining the mediating effect of emotional intelligence in perceived stress (stress, depression, and anxiety) on the interpersonal relationships of nursing students. The study was a cross-sectional design. There were 313nursing students participating in the study and they were recruited from a university in northern Taiwan. The data were self-administrated by participants and collected from four scales: the Emotional Intelligence Scale, the Social Relationship Scale, the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale, and the demographic instrument. The main findings of this study were as follows: (1) Stress perception was significantly positively correlated with depression and anxiety. Emotional intelligence was positively correlated with interpersonal relationships. All the perceived stress, anxiety, and depression significantly negatively correlated with emotional intelligence and interpersonal relationships. (2) The results concluded that the impact of perceived stress on interpersonal relationships was significantly mediated by emotional intelligence. In conclusion, this study confirmed that emotional intelligence is one of the most important mediators, which can mediate the negative impacts from perceived stress to interpersonal relationships. For nursing education, the result provides a new direction in improving the emotional intelligence and ability of nursing students to help students manage stress and build interpersonal and professional relationships.