Assessment and determinants of emotional intelligence and perceived stress among students of a medical college in south India
Nitin Joseph1, Nita Joseph2, Vishakha Panicker3, Maria Nelliyanil4, Ashok Jindal5, Raj Viveki6
1 Associate Professor, Department of Community Medicine, Manipal University, Mangalore, India 2 Dental Surgeon, Al Nile Dental Clinic, Sohar, Oman 3 MBBS Student, Kasturba Medical College, Manipal University, Mangalore, India 4 Assistant Professor, Department of Community Medicine, AJ Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Centre, Mangalore, India 5 Professor, Department of Community Medicine, Armed Force Medical College, Pune, Maharashtra, India 6 Professor and Head, Department of Community Medicine, Belgaum Institute of Medical Sciences, Belgaum, Karnataka, India
Correspondence Address:
Nitin Joseph Associate Professor, Department of Community Medicine, Kasturba Medical College, Manipal University, Mangalore, Karnataka India
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None  | Check |
DOI: 10.4103/0019-557X.169666
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Emotional intelligence (EI) is the ability to identify, assess, and control the emotions of oneself, of others, and of groups. Stress resulting from having to meet professional demands is common in the medical student's life. The perceived stress (PS) can be either an input or an outflow of EI or the lack thereof. This study was done to assess EI levels and to find out its association with sociodemographic variables and PS among medical students. Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire from 198 first-year and 208 second-year medical students. EI scores were found to increase with age (r = 0.169, P = 0.004). PS scores were found to be higher among first-year students (P = 0.05). PS scores were found to decrease with increase in EI scores (r = −0.226, P < 0.001). Hence, if sufficient measures to improve EI are provided in the beginning, it would make students more stress-free during their training years at medical schools. |