Emotional Intelligence and Nurses' Job Performance: Evidence From a Ghanaian Teaching Hospital

Emotional intelligence may be relevant to nurses' communication, emotional regulation, teamwork and job performance. Evidence on individual emotional intelligence dimensions among nurses in Ghana remains limited. This study examined the associations between self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship management and nurses' job performance at Cape Coast Teaching Hospital, Ghana. A cross-sectional analytical study was conducted among nurses at Cape Coast Teaching Hospital. A simple random sample of 267 eligible nurses was selected, of whom 219 completed the questionnaire (82.0% response rate). Emotional intelligence was measured using an adapted instrument based on Goleman's Emotional Competency Framework, while job performance was assessed using the Employee Job Performance Scale. Exploratory factor analysis was conducted using principal axis factoring. Factorability was assessed using the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin measure and Bartlett's test of sphericity, and internal consistency was assessed using Cronbach's alpha. Pearson correlation and multiple linear regression analyses were conducted. All four emotional intelligence dimensions were positively correlated with job performance. In Model 1, self-awareness (β = 0.289, p < 0.001) and relationship management (β = 0.265, p = 0.001) were positively associated with job performance, while self-management (β = 0.099, p = 0.213) and social awareness (β = -0.026, p = 0.770) were not independently associated. The model explained 26.5% of the variance in job performance (R² = 0.265; adjusted R² = 0.252). After adjustment for gender, nursing education, work experience and nursing category, self-awareness (β = 0.258, p = 0.001) and relationship management (β = 0.260, p = 0.001) remained significant. The adjusted model explained 31.4% of the variance (R² = 0.314; adjusted R² = 0.271). Self-awareness and relationship management were independently associated with nurses' self-reported job performance. Longitudinal and intervention studies are needed to determine whether changes in these competencies are associated with subsequent changes in nursing performance and patient-care outcomes.