Association of Emotional Intelligence With Pharmacy Students' Leadership and Academic Performance

Area of Science:

• Pharmacy Education
• Psychology
• Higher Education

Background:

• Emotional intelligence (EQ) is crucial for professional development.
• Leadership roles and academic success are key metrics for student pharmacists.
• Understanding the interplay between EQ, leadership, and academic performance is vital.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between emotional intelligence, leadership involvement, and academic performance in student pharmacists.
• To identify specific EQ skills correlating with leadership positions and GPA.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective observational study of 214 second-year student pharmacists.
• Emotional Quotient Inventory version 2.0 (EQ-i 2.0) assessed emotional intelligence.
• Leadership involvement (officer positions) and cumulative GPA were analyzed using bivariate logistic regression.

Main Results:

• Students with ≥2 leadership positions had higher average social responsibility scores.
• Students with a GPA ≥3.5 exhibited lower average assertiveness scores compared to those with GPA <3.5.

Conclusions:

• Higher social responsibility in emotional intelligence correlates with increased leadership involvement among student pharmacists.
• Lower assertiveness is associated with higher academic performance (GPA ≥3.5).
• Emphasizing social responsibility within the pharmacy curriculum is recommended.