Emotional intelligence and perceived stress among psychiatric nurses: The moderating role of mindfulness

INTRODUCTION: The field of psychiatric nursing is filled with daunting challenges and stress. Emotional intelligence in nurses is associated with better mental health and work performance. However, there are underlying processes that might moderate these associations. The objective of this study was to explore the moderating role of mindfulness in the relationship between emotional intelligence and perceived stress among psychiatric nurses.
METHODS: The study adopted an explanatory sequential design. In Phase I, quantitative data were collected from 112 working psychiatric nurses in Maharashtra. Those with adequate educational qualifications, experience in the field, and willingness to participate were requested to provide sociodemographic details, followed by completion of question-naires on perceived stress, mindfulness, and emotional intelligence after providing written informed consent. In Phase II, qualitative data were gathered from participants who had the highest (n=10) and lowest (n=10) levels of mindfulness in the previous phase. A semi-structured interview was used to gather data on the stressors they faced, the causes of stress, and coping strategies.
RESULTS: The results of hierarchical regression analysis indicated that, after controlling for sociodemographic variables, emotional intelligence was negatively associated with perceived stress, and this relationship was moderated by mind-fulness. Those with higher levels of mindfulness tended to use adaptive coping strategies, whereas those with lower levels of mindfulness tended to use maladaptive coping strategies.
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: This study contributes to a deeper understanding of the relationship between emotional intelligence and perceived stress and the moderating role of mindfulness. The results suggest that intervention programs focusing on mindfulness skills can be incorporated for psychiatric nurses to improve their mental health.

Keywords: Emotional intelligence, mindfulness, nurses, psychiatry, stress