Emotional intelligence and personality traits of university students in dentistry, medicine and pharmacy degrees

  1. Cristina Gómez Polo 1
  2. Javier Montero 1
  3. María Portillo Muñoz 1
  4. Maria Lobato Carreño 1
  5. Beatriz Pardal Peláez 1
  6. Álvaro Zubizarreta Macho 1
  7. Ana María Martín Casado 1
  1. 1 Universidad de Salamanca
    info

    Universidad de Salamanca

    Salamanca, España

    ROR https://ror.org/02f40zc51

Revista:
EJIHPE: European Journal of Investigation in Health, Psychology and Education

ISSN: 2174-8144 2254-9625

Año de publicación: 2024

Volumen: 14

Número: 6

Páginas: 1757-1768

Tipo: Artículo

DOI: 10.3390/EJIHPE14060116 DIALNET GOOGLE SCHOLAR lock_openDialnet editor

Otras publicaciones en: EJIHPE: European Journal of Investigation in Health, Psychology and Education

Repositorio institucional: lock_openAcceso abierto Editor

Resumen

Background: This study aimed to characterize dentistry, medicine and pharmacy students in terms of emotional intelligence (EI) and personality traits (PTs). It also sought to identify whether differences existed according to gender and degree program and the relationship between them. Methods: Students enrolled in dentistry (115), medicine (85) and pharmacy (57) degree programs participated voluntarily in the research, including 59 men and 198 women. The following questionnaires were used: (1) the Trait Meta-Mood Scale (TMMS-24) to evaluate EI; (2) the NEO Five-Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI) to assess PT. The Qualtrics XM platform was used for data collection. Results: There were no statistically significant differences between three components of EI, either according to gender or degree program. The only difference in PTs was found in neuroticism, where women scored higher than men. There were statistically significant differences between students on different degree programs in openness to experience and responsibility. The five PTs correlated significantly with the three components of EI, except responsibility and emotional attention. The strongest associations were found between neuroticism and emotional repair (−0.439). Conclusions: High percentages of the student population were observed to have weaknesses in emotional clarity and emotional repair. Neuroticism is a personality trait that seems to occur more frequently in women.

Referencias bibliográficas

  • Case, J.; Huisman, J. Researching higher education: International perspectives on theory, policy, and practice. In Researching Higher Education. International Perspectives on Theory, Policy, and Practice; Case, J., Huisman, J., Eds.; Routledge: Oxon, UK, 2016; pp. 20–21.
  • Khan, S.; Inamdar, M.N.; Munaga, S.; Khare, N.; Farooq, M.U. Development of psychomotor skills in dentistry based on motor learning principles: A review. World J. Dent. 2020, 11, 247–251.
  • Hannah, A.; Lim, B.T.; Ayers, K.M. Emotional intelligence and clinical interview performance of dental students. J. Dent. Educ. 2009, 73, 1107–1117.
  • Romanelli, F.; Cain, J.; Smith, K.M. Emotional intelligence as a predictor of academic and/or professional success. Am. J. Pharm. Educ. 2006, 70, 69.
  • Kolb, D.A. Learning and problem solving. In Organizational Psychology, 2nd ed.; Kolb, D.A., Rubin, I.M., McIntyre, J.M., Eds.; Prentice-Hall: Englewood Cliffs, NJ, USA, 1974; pp. 21–40.
  • Kolb, D.A. Experiential Learning: Experience as the Source of Learning and Development; Prentice Hall: Englewood Cliffs, NJ, USA, 1984.
  • Mainemelis, C.; Boyatzis, R.E.; Kolb, D.A. Learning styles and adaptive flexibility. Testing experiential learning theory. Manag. Learn. 2002, 33, 5–33.
  • Lopes, P.N.; Brackett, M.A.; Nezlek, J.B.; Schütz, A.; Sellin, I.; Salovey, P. Emotional intelligence and social interaction. Pers. Soc. Psychol. Bull. 2004, 30, 1018–1034.
  • Foster, K.; McCloughen, A.; Delgado, C.; Kefalas, C.; Harkness, E. Emotional intelligence education in pre-registration nursing programmes: An integrative review. Nurse Educ. Today 2015, 35, 510–517.
  • Suciu, N.; Melit, , L.E.; Mărginean, C.O. A Holistic Approach of Personality Traits in Medical Students: An Integrative Review. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18, 12822.
  • Alzahem, A.; Van der Molen, H.; Alaujan, A.; Schmidt, H.; Zamakhshary, M. Stress amongst dental students: A systematic review. Eur. J. Dent. Educ. 2011, 15, 8–18.
  • Geslani, G.P.; Gaebelein, C.J. Perceived stress, stressors, and mental distress among doctor of pharmacy students. Soc. Behav. Personal. Int. J. 2013, 41, 1457–1468.
  • Mayer, J.D.; Salovey, P. The intelligence of emotional intelligence. Intelligence 1993, 17, 432–442.
  • Salovey, P.; Stroud, L.; Woolery, A.; Epel, E.S. Perceived emotional intelligence, stress reactivity, and symptom reports: Further explorations using the Trait Meta-Mood Scale. Psychol. Health 2002, 17, 611–627.
  • Martins, A.; Ramalho, N.; Morin, E. A comprehensive meta-analysis of the relationship between emotional intelligence and health. Personal. Individ. Differ. 2010, 49, 554–564.
  • Pau, A.; Rowland, M.L.; Naidoo, S.; AbdulKadir, R.; Makrynika, E.; Moraru, R.; Croucher, R. Emotional intelligence and perceived stress in dental undergraduates: A multinational survey. J. Dent. Educ. 2007, 71, 197–204.
  • Birks, Y.; McKendree, J.; Watt, I. Emotional intelligence and perceived stress in healthcare students: A multi-institutional, multi-professional survey. BMC Med. Educ. 2009, 9, 1–8.
  • Othman, C.N.; Yusof, M.S.B.; Din, A.M.; Zakaria, L.A. Emotional intelligence and personality traits in relation to psychological health among pharmacy students in Malaysia. Proc. Soc. Behav. Sci. 2016, 222, 253–262.
  • Sharon, D.; Grinberg, K. Does the level of emotional intelligence affect the degree of success in nursing studies? Nurse Educ. Today 2018, 64, 21–26.
  • Bhaskaran Unnikrishnan, D.; Kulkarni, V.A.; Thapar, R.; Mithra, P.; Rai, S.A.; Najiza, H.U. Association of emotional intelligence with academic performance among medical students in South India. Asian J. Pharm. Clin. Res. 2015, 8, 300–302.
  • Shah, C.J.; Sanisara, M.; Mehta, H.B.; Vaghela, H.M. The relationship between emotional intelligence and academic achievement in medical undergraduates. Int. J. Res. Med. Sci. 2014, 2, 59–61.
  • Hasegawa, Y.; Ninomiya, K.; Fujii, K.; Sekimoto, T. Emotional intelligence score and performance of dental undergraduates. Odontology 2016, 104, 397–401.
  • Azimi, S.; AsgharNejad Farid, A.A.; Kharazi Fard, M.J.; Khoei, N. Emotional intelligence of dental students and patient satisfaction. Eur. J. Dent. Educ. 2010, 14, 129–132.
  • Rodriguez, K.D.; Bartoloni, J.A.; Hendricson, W.D. Is Dental Students’ Clinical Productivity Associated with Their Personality Profile? J. Dent. Educ. 2017, 81, 1436–1443.
  • Zeidner, M.; Matthews, G.; Roberts, R.D. Emotional intelligence in the workplace: A critical review. Appl. Psychol. 2004, 53, 371–399.
  • Cleary, M.; Visentin, D.; West, S.; Lopez, V.; Kornhaber, R. Promoting emotional intelligence and resilience in undergraduate nursing students: An integrative review. Nurse Educ. Today 2018, 68, 112–120.
  • Mohan, M.; Lin, K.H.; Parolia, A.; Pau, A. Does Emotional Intelligence of Dental Undergraduates Influence Their Patient Satisfaction? Int. J. Dent. 2021, 2021, 4573459.
  • Blue, A.V.; Chessman, A.W.; Gilbert, G.E.; Mainous, A.G., III. Responding to patients’ emotions: Important for standardized patient satisfaction. Fam. Med. 2000, 32, 326–330.
  • Wagner, P.J.; Moseley, G.C.; Grant, M.M.; Gore, J.R.; Owens, C. Physicians’ emotional intelligence and patient satisfaction. Fam. Med. 2002, 34, 750–754.
  • Goleman, D. Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ; Bantam: New York, NY, USA, 1995.
  • Singh, Y.; Sharma, R. Relationship between general intelligence, emotional intelligence, stress levels, and stress reactivity. Ann. Neurosci. 2012, 19, 107–111.
  • Sternberg, R.J.; Kaufman, J.C. Human abilities. Annu. Rev. Psychol. 1998, 49, 479–502.
  • Oyur Celik, G. The relationship between patient satisfaction and emotional intelligence skills of nurses working in surgical clinics. Patient Prefer. Adherence 2017, 11, 1363–1368.
  • Chew, B.H.; Zain, A.M.; Hassan, F. The relationship between the social management of emotional intelligence and academic performance among medical students. Psychol. Health Med. 2015, 20, 198–204.
  • Ahmady, A.E.; Pakkhesal, M.; Zafarmand, A.H.; Lando, H.A. Patient satisfaction surveys in dental school clinics: A review and comparison. J. Dent. Educ. 2015, 79, 388–393.
  • Allport, G.W. Pattern and Growth in Personality; Holt: New York, NY, USA, 1974.
  • Holland, J.L. Making Vocational Choices: A Theory of Personalities and Work Environments; Psychological Assessments Resources: Odessa, FL, USA, 1997.
  • Zweig, D.; Webster, J. What are we measuring? An examination of the relationships between the big-five personality traits, goal orientation, and performance intentions. Personal. Individ. Differ. 2004, 36, 1693–1708.
  • Tamannaeifar, M.; Mansourinik, A. The Relationship between Personality Characteristics, Social Support and Life Satisfaction with University Students’ Academic Performance. Q. J. Res. Plan. High. Educ. 2014, 20, 149–166.
  • Foster, K.N.; Neidert, G.P.M.; Brubaker-Rimmer, R.; Artalejo, D.; Caruso, D.M. A Psychological Profile of Surgeons and Surgical Residents. J. Surg. Educ. 2010, 67, 359–370.
  • Cuartero, N.; Tur, A.M. Emotional intelligence, resilience and personality traits neuroticism and extraversion: Predictive capacity in perceived academic efficacy. Nurse Educ. Today 2021, 102, 104933.
  • MacCann, C.; Jiang, Y.; Brown, L.E.R.; Double, K.S.; Bucich, M.; Minbashian, A. Emotional intelligence predicts academic performance: A meta-analysis. Psychol. Bull. 2020, 146, 150–186.
  • Lewis, E.G.; Cardwell, J.M. The big five personality traits, perfectionism and their association with mental health among UK students on professional degree programmes. BMC Psychol. 2020, 8, 54.
  • Costa, P.; McCrae, R. The Revised NEO Personality Inventory (NEO-PI-R) and NEO-Five-Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI) Professional Manual; Psychological Assessment Resources: Odessa, FL, USA, 1992.
  • Mayer, J.; Salovey, P. Perceiving affective content in ambiguous visual stimuli: A component. J. Personal. Assess. 1990, 54, 772–781.
  • Fernández-Berrocal, P.; Extremera, N.; Ramos, N. Validity and reliability of the Spanish modified version of the Trait Meta-Mood Scale. Psychol. Rep. 2004, 94, 751–755.
  • Cordero, A.; Pamos, A.; Seisdedos, N. Inventario de Personalidad Neo Revisado (NEO-PI-R). Inventario Neo Reducido de Cinco Factores (NEO-FFI); TEA Ediciones: Madrid, Spain, 1999.
  • Armitage, P.; Berry, G.; Matthews, J.N.S. Statistical Methods in Medical Research, 4th ed.; Blackwell Science: Oxford, UK, 2002.
  • Kim, H.Y. Statistical notes for clinical researchers: Post-hoc multiple comparisons. Restor. Dent. Endod. 2015, 40, 172–176.
  • Cohen, J. Statistical Power Analysis for the Behavioral Sciences, 2nd ed.; Lawrence Erlbaum Associates: Hillsdale, NJ, USA, 1988.
  • Ghahramani, S.; Jahromi, A.T.; Khoshsoroor, D.; Seifooripour, R.; Sepehrpoor, M. The relationship between emotional intelligence and happiness in medical students. Korean J. Med. Educ. 2019, 31, 29–38.
  • Martin-Raugh, M.P.; Kell, H.J.; Motowidlo, S.J. Prosocial knowledge mediates effects of agreeableness and emotional intelligence on prosocial behavior. Personal. Individ. Differ. 2022, 90, 41–49.
  • Lermen, C.; Wetzel, W.; Britz, V.; Sterz, J.; Bechstein, W.O.; Schreckenbach, T. Empathy, personality traits, and emotional management in 2nd and 4th-year dentistry students: A single-center study. BMC Med. Educ. 2022, 22, 2.
  • Abe, K.; Niwa, M.; Fujisaki, K.; Suzuki, Y. Associations between emotional intelligence, empathy and personality in Japanese medical students. BMC Med. Educ. 2018, 18, 47.
  • Mayer, J.D.; Salovey, P. What is emotional intelligence? In Emotional Development and Emotional Intelligence: Implications for Educators; Salovey, P., Sluyter, D., Eds.; Basic Books: New York, NY, USA, 1997; pp. 3–31.
  • Salovey, P.; Mayer, J.D. Emotional intelligence. Imagin. Cogn. Personal. 1990, 9, 185–211.
  • Ciarrochi, J.V.; Chan, A.; Caputi, P. A critical evaluation of the emotional intelligence construct. Personal. Individ. Differ. 2000, 28, 539–561.
  • McIntyre, H.H. Gender differences in the nature and linkage of higher-order personality factors to trait and ability emotional intelligence. Personal. Individ. Differ. 2010, 48, 617–622.
  • Nayak, M. Impact of culture linked gender and age on emotional intelligence of higher secondary school adolescents. Int. J. Adv. Res. Technol. 2014, 3, 64–79.
  • van Rooy, D.L.; Alonso, A.; Viswesvaran, C. Group differences in emotional intelligence scores: Theoretical and practical implications. Personal. Individ. Differ. 2005, 38, 689–700.
  • Kumar, A.; Puranik, M.P.; Sowmya, K.R. Association Between Dental Students’ Emotional Intelligence and Academic Performance: A Study at Six Dental Colleges in India. J. Dent. Educ. 2016, 80, 526–532.
  • Gorostiaga, A.; Balluerka, N.; Aritzeta, A.; Haranburu, M.; Alonso-Arbiol, I. Measuring perceived emotional intelligence in adolescent population: Validation of the Short Trait Meta-Mood Scale (TMMS-23). Int. J. Clin. Health Psychol. 2011, 11, 523–537.
  • López-Zafra, E.; Gartzia, L. Perceptions of gender differences in self-report measures of emotional intelligence. Sex. Roles 2014, 70, 479–495.
  • Cabello, R.; Sorrel, M.A.; Fernandez-Pinto, I.; Extremera, N.; Fernandez-Berrocal, P. Age and gender differences in ability emotional intelligence in adults: A cross-sectional study. Dev. Psychol. 2016, 52, 1486–1492.
  • McKinley, S.K.; Petrusa, E.R.; Fiedeldey-Van Dijk, C.; Mullen, J.T.; Smink, D.S.; Scott-Vernaglia, S.E.; Kent, T.S.; Black-Schaffer, W.S.; Phitayakorn, R. Are there gender differences in the emotional intelligence of resident physicians? J. Surg. Educ. 2014, 71, e33–e40.
  • Sambol, S.; Suleyman, E.; Scarfo, J.; Ball, M. Distinguishing between trait emotional intelligence and the five-factor model of personality: Additive predictive validity of emotional intelligence for negative emotional states. Heliyon 2022, 8, e08882.
  • Roberts, R.D.; Zeidner, M.; Matthews, G. Does emotional intelligence meet traditional standards for intelligence? Some new data and conclusions. Emotion 2001, 1, 196–231.
  • Davis, M.; Stankov, L.; Roberts, R.D. Emotional intelligence: In search of an elusive construct. J. Pers. Soc. Psychol. 1998, 75, 989–1015.
  • Partido, B.B.; Stefanik, D. Impact of emotional intelligence training in a communication and ethics course among second-year dental students. J. Dent. Educ. 2020, 84, 704–711.
  • Brackett, M.A.; Rivers, S.E.; Salovey, P. Emotional Intelligence: Implications for personal, social, academic, and workplace success. Soc. Personal. Psychol. Compass 2011, 5, 88–103.
  • Delgado, C.; Upton, D.; Ranse, K.; Furness, T.; Foster, K. Nurses’ resilience and the emotional labour of nursing work: An integrative review of empirical literature. Int. J. Nurs. Stud. 2017, 70, 71–88.
  • Schutte, N.S.; Malouff, J.M.; Bobik, C.; Coston, T.D.; Greeson, C.; Jedulicka, C.; Rhodes, E.; Wendorf, G. Emotional intelligence and interpersonal relations. J. Soc. Psychol. 2001, 141, 523–536.
  • Cherry, M.G.; Fletcher, I.; O’Sullivan, H.; Shaw, N. What impact do structured educational sessions to increase emotional intelligence have on medical students? BEME guide no. 17. Med. Teach. 2012, 34, 11–19.
  • Magalhaes, E.; Costa, P.; Costa, M.J. Empathy of medical students and personality: Evidence from the five-factor model. Med. Teach. 2012, 34, 807–812.
  • Stepien, K.A.; Baernstein, A. Educating for empathy: A review. J. Gen. Intern. Med. 2006, 21, 524–530.
  • Spiro, H. The practice of empathy. Acad. Med. 2009, 84, 1177–1179.
  • Hojat, M.; Axelrod, D.; Spandorfer, J.; Mangione, S. Enhancing and sustaining empathy in medical students. Med. Teach. 2013, 35, 996–1001.
  • Debbi, R.J. Emotional intelligence as a crucial component to medical education. Int. J. Med. Educ. 2015, 6, 179–183.
  • Castillo, R.; Fernández-Berrocal, P.; Brackett, M.A. Enhancing teacher effectiveness in Spain: A pilot study of the RULER approach to social and emotional learning. J. Educ. Train. Stud. 2013, 1, 263–272.
  • Durlak, J.A.; Weissberg, R.P.; Dymnicki, A.B.; Taylor, R.D.; Schellinger, K.B. The impact of enhancing students’ social and emotional learning: A meta-analysis of school-based universal interventions. Child Dev. 2011, 82, 405–432.
  • Arguedas, M.; Daradoumis, T.; Xhafa, F. Analyzing how emotion awareness influences students’ motivation, engagement, self-regulation, and learning outcome. Educ. Technol. Soc. 2016, 19, 87–103.