Opportunities for emotional intelligence in the context of nursing 1⁄4

© 2013 Ilievová et al.; licensee University of Sarajevo Faculty of Health Studies. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. UNIVERSITY OF SARAJEVO FACULTY OF HEALTH STUDIES ABSTRACT


INTRODUCTION
Emotional intelligence involves qualities like recognition of one´s own feelings, ability to empathize with other people and manage feelings in order to enhance quality of one´s life.For standard as well as specifi c personality functioning, one needs not only intellectual abilities (decisions based on logic) but also abilities covered by emotional intelligence.Clear communication of one´s own feelings and emotions can provide signifi cant help in creating mutual relationship.Emotional intelligence models can be categorized into two groups: models of abilities and models of features, or combined models (1).
Baumgartner et al. (2) state that the theory of Mayer, Salovey and Caruso provides a clear and logical concept of emotional intelligence.Connection of terms emotions and intelligence creates a specifi c psychological construct applicable in a determined sphere of human life, contrary to powerful theory by Goleman and too broad theory by Bar-One.Petrides, Peréz and Furnhamdefi ne conceptual framework of emotional intelligence as a personality feature (3).Salbot et al. (4) state that feature emotional intelligence appears to be a meaningful, relatively individual personality construct justifi ed within research and diagnostic practice.Th ey prefer the term own emotional effi ciency, respectively emotional self-effi cacy, similarly to Baumgartner, Zacharová (5).Th is term signifi es potential for perception and processing of our own and other people´s emotions, as well as potential for control and regulation of emotions.In the nursing profession, competences of emotional intelligence in intrapersonal and interpersonal relationships are applied in parallel with cognitive competences.Emotional competences have mutual impact and are a condition of each other within their application.Lack of emotional intelligence competences becomes a restriction in actual application of not only expert knowledge but also intellectual abilities (6).Similarly, McCobe and Timmins (7) present a combination of cognitive and aff ective processes, which help in the nurse -patient interaction.Ilievová (6) draws attention to social intelligence and possibilities of its usage in the nursing care, as well as in education of nursing students.She refers to the need of conducting social and psychological training of nursing students in Slovakia.According to Dobšovič, Ilievová and Bekö (8), students enhance their abilities of communication, selfknowing, congruence, acceptance, empathy, stress management, self-refl ection, and confl ict solution through psychological and social training based on active social learning principles.Th ey have a possibility to grow personally, develop their personal qualities, reveal and look for their own communication barriers and enhance their social competences.Ilievová (9) states that the nurse profession is a helping occupation whose demands refl ect in physical, psychical and emotional sphere, and from the viewpoint of preparation for the profession and handling professional performance, it ranks among the most demanding professions.Por et al. (10) claim that evidence is ambiguous at present, and there are only a few empirical studies examining direct relationship between emotional intelligence and nursing care.Th e aim of this study was to evaluate the level of emotional intelligence of full-time students in the nursing study program, bachelor degree study at the Faculty of Health and Social Care at the Trnava University, analyzing it from the viewpoint of its grasping as a characteristic feature or ability, and fi nding out emotional self-effi cacy which relates to care about geriatric patients.

DISCUSSION
Four-factor structure was not confi rmed in our method, whose creation was inspired by TEIQue-SF.Results of the factor analysis of our method are supported by fi ndings of authors preferring grasping of feature emotional intelligence as a whole, not as a factor construct.Baumgartner, Molčanová and Chylová (11)  Achieved lower score suggests that students are not able to infl uence and handle experiencing of geriatric patients (e.g.set them at ease, motivate them, and comfort them).Th ey cannot make geriatric patients feel better when they need it.Lower score in the stress management dimension enables us to feature that students have less developed stress management strategies in interaction with geriatric patients, and they might prefer avoiding situations in which they are potentially maximized.By contrast, the highest score of students was achieved in optimism, feature happiness and relationship competence dimensions.First two dimensions are contained in the well-being factor, suggesting that students experience ease in connection with geriatric patients.Th ey feel happy and positive in their presence.Th e optimism dimension should particularly express that students look at positive features of their relationship to geriatric patients and expect positive events in working with them.Methods of feature emotional intelligence measurement mutually correlate quite strongly (13).SEIS method was in a moderate relationship with ESE-GP method within our study.is also response in experiencing of patients, which decides on whether mutual relationship contributes to the atmosphere of trust or it worsens it.Th e idea of encounter groups brings a diff erent approach towards human resources and preconditions of a learning person, and creates an own unique culture of a group process.

CONCLUSION
We were fi nding out the emotional intelligence level of nursing students.We analyzed it from the viewpoint of its grasping as a feature, ability and emotional self-effi cacy in relation to geriatric patients.Th rough ESE-GP, we found a lower score in social awareness, emotional management and stress management dimensions regarding the nursing students.Our fi ndings can be an impulse for enhancement and development of own emotional effi cacy of nursing students through psychological and social trainings.Preliminary results of encounter groups monitoring suggest an increase in willingness to cooperate, suppression of defending behavior in communication with the others, increase in selfconfi dence and decline in evaluative behavior based on criticism.Encounter group is considered as one of the most eff ective forms of active social learning, since educational process is interconnected with emotional experiencing, and obtained knowledge and information are interconnected with particular emotions.

TABLE 1 .
Salbot et al., 2011) sample of 86 respondents.Full-time students in the nursing study program in the bachelor degree study (1 st , 2 nd and 3 rd year of study -4 men, 82 women; age: M = 21; SD = 2.23) at the Faculty of Health and Social Care of the Trnava University in Trnava were examined.Students attend 40 hours of psychological and social training during each semester.After completion of their studies, they attend 240 hours of psychological and social training based on the principles of active social learning.Data was collected in February 2012.Participation was anonymous and based on voluntary consent to participate in the study.Respondents were informed on the purpose of the study.accordingtoSalbotetal., 2011), however, these factors do not correspond with their fi nding.Validity was verifi ed by fi nding out relationship between SEIS and our ESE-GP method (Table3).Descriptive characteristics of variables (N=86) 3. Method of own structure examines emotional self-effi cacy related to geriatric patients (ESE-GP) -this self-refl exive method carries a potential to bring information on internal processes or experience and on typical behavior of respondents towards geriatric patients.Th e Descriptive characteristics of the overall score of used methods are shown in Table1.Figure1.showsdescriptivecharacteristics of variable dimensions of ESE-GP.Based on medians, we can state that lower score is recorded in the dimensions of stress management, social awareness and emotional management (median 7).Based on analysis of dimensional variables division collected through ESE-GP, we can state that compared to standard division, score of these dimensions deviates towards higher values (so called left incline).Stress management dimension is an exception -it is right inclined. of 15 dimensions on the basis of Cronbach α coeffi cient calculation is also high, α = 0.752.Table2presents results of factor analysis of 13 dimensions (adaptability and self-motivation were omitted) (

TABLE 2 .
Factor analysis of ESE-GP Factor loadings of dimensions contained in obtained factors are underlined in the column of respective factors; 1 = sociability, 2 = emotionality, 3 = well-being, 4 = self-control.
Th e factor of well-being is an exception, showing left incline.Factors were not found in our method, and therefore we only use 15 dimensions divided according to Salbot (4).On the basis of medians, we state that lower score in ESE-GP was found in two dimensions: social awareness and emotional management.Th ese dimensions according to Salbot are contained in sociability factor, focusing on social relationships and social impact, on individual as an agent in social contacts.Our fi ndings suggest that students are convinced about restricted social skills in relation to geriatric patients.Th ey feel anxious in unknown social surroundings like health care facilities (departments), as they are uncertain about how to behave.Th eir interpersonal skills are insuffi cient.Emotional management dimension (of the others) relates to the ability to cope with emotional states of the others.Th ey are represented by states of geriatric patients in our study.
(12)al intelligence score.Nábělková(12)states, on the basis of statistical analysis of her study, that emotional intelligence factors (emotionality, sociability and self-control under TEIQue tool) as well as the overall global emotional intelligence can be consid-ered as normally divided.
Individual dimensions variables in ESE-GP (box plot) O boundary values * extreme values ┴ average values with SDFIGURE 1.

TABLE 3 .
Relationships between scores of used methods