Comparison of the Relationship between Occupational Stress and Emotional Intelligence in Nurses Working in Intensive...

Emotional intelligence (EI) is increasingly recognized as an important factor in managing occupational stress. This study aimed to examine and compare the association between EI and occupational stress in Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and General Ward (GW) nurses.

In this case-control study, 478 nurses were recruited in 2020 from hospitals affiliated with Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Iran. Participants included 239 ICU nurses (case group) and 239 GW nurses (control group), selected through multistage cluster sampling. Data were collected using the Sybria Sherink Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire and the Expanded Nursing Stress Scale (ENSS). Statistical analyses (t-tests, Pearson correlation, and stepwise regression) were performed using SPSS version 16.0 with a significance level of p < 0.05.

The mean (SD) age of participants was 34.2 (6.31) in the case group and 33.4 (7.12) in the control group. The mean (SD) occupational stress was 157.21 (38.62) in the case group and 132.51 (41.13) in the control group. This mean was significantly greater in the case group (t₄₇₆ = 6.78, p < 0.001). EI scores were inversely correlated with occupational stress (r = -0.31, p < 0.001). EI explained 9.7% of the variance in occupational stress (R² =0.097, β = -0.31, t = -7.13, p < 0.001).

ICU nurses experience greater occupational stress than those in GWs. Higher EI is significantly associated with lower stress, suggesting that EI enhancement could be a useful strategy to reduce stress in high-pressure nursing environments.