Emotional Intelligence and Anxiety in Nursing Students in Special Services Clinical Practices

Nursing students in their training process often suffer from anxiety due to stressful situations, and emotional intelligence can help them to manage these situations. The aim of this study is to analyse the associations between the dimensions of perceived emotional intelligence and anxiety in students undergoing their training cycles in different special services in order to check if there are differences between them. It is an observational, cross-sectional and correlational study with a sample of 85 nursing students who had not received training in emotional intelligence. Two measurement instruments were used: the Trait-State Anxiety Inventory (STAI) to assess anxiety and the Trait Meta-Mood Scale (TMMS-24) to measure EI. Data were analysed using Pearson's coefficient when the distribution was normal, and Spearman's coefficient in the non-normal distribution. The results showed in the group-ER-Emergency and Oncology-there was a significant negative relationship between state and trait anxiety and emotional understanding and regulation. In contrast, in the Primary Care setting there was also a positive relationship between emotional perception and trait anxiety. The study concludes that nursing students who understand and manage their emotions may have a lower risk of anxiety. Furthermore, if they identify emotions appropriately, the risk of suffering from anxiety in the long term may be lower. This finding was observed when the student did the internship in Primary Care. So there is a difference depending on the clinical context.