Evaluating Emotional Intelligence Among Undergraduate Medical Students: A Cross-Sectional Study from Peshawar, Pakistan

Abstract

An individual's capacity to comprehend and respond to their own and others' emotions, differentiate among them, and use this skill in directing their thoughts and actions is defined as Emotional Intelligence. Objective: To evaluate the emotional intelligence (EI) of undergraduate medical students in Peshawar, Pakistan, based on their gender and year of study. Methods: This research project used a cross-sectional, observational study design. The study was carried out in public and private sector medical colleges in Peshawar, Pakistan, from August 2023 to December 2023. A total of 525 complete answers were received. Schutte's Self-Report Emotional Intelligence Test (SSEIT) was the tool utilized to gather data. The data were analyzed using SPSS version 29.0. Results: A mean age of 21.12 ± 1.754 was observed among the participants, whose ages varied from a minimum 17 to maximum 28. The overall participant’s mean emotional intelligence score is 116.62 ± 14.948. Male scored higher on emotional intelligence (117.36) than female (116.30) and both genders were statistically significant. Compared to clinical science students (115.18), basic science students (117.32) had a higher emotional intelligence mean score, whereas there was no statistical significance between the two groups. Conclusions: The research concluded that the majority of undergraduates had an average degree of emotional intelligence, with men scoring higher than women. Also, students studying basic sciences had higher mean scores than clinical science students.