The effects of emotional intelligence skills training on interpersonal relationships of nursing students

Erkayıran O. Adnan Menderes University Institute of Health Sciences Mental Health Nursing Master's Thesis, Aydın, 2016. Emotional intelligence has an important place in the nursing profession, in caring patients and in the interpersonal relationships with patients and their relatives. This research aimed to investigate the effect of emotional intelligence skills training on emotional intelligence and interpersonal relationship levels of nursing students which will be health care professionals in future. This is a quasi-experimental, randomized controlled study in which pretest-posttest control group model was performed. It was conducted with 1st grade nursing students. Emotional Intelligence Skills Development Training was performed to the experimental group. 72 students participated to the research; 36 for experimental group and 36 for control group. The data obtained by personal information form, Bar-On Emotional Intelligence Scale and Interpersonal Relationship Style Scale. Data was evaluated by chi-square test, paired samples t-test and willcoxon t-test. Significant diffrences were found between emotional intelligence scores of both experimental and control group after emotional intelligence skills development training, also another significant difference was found between pretest and posttest interpersonal relationship style scores of experimental group. It was concluded that emotional intelligence skills development training contributed to development of emotional intelligence and interpersonal relationships levels of nursing students. It is recomended to universalize emotional intelligence skills development training to contribute interpersonal relations of nursing students. Keywords: Emotional Intelligence, Emotional Intelligence Skills Development Training, Nursing, Nursing Students