Determining the relationship between nurses' emotional intelligence levels and fear of COVİD 19 and burnout levels

The research is a cross-sectional and descriptive study conducted to determine the relationship between the emotional intelligence levels of nurses and fear of Covid-19 and burnout levels. 110 nurses working in a training and research hospital constituted the sample of the study. The data were collected online between March and July 2021 using "Sociodemographic Data Form", "Emotional Intelligence Scale(EIS)", "Fear of Covid-19 Scale(FCV-19S)" and "Maslach Burnout Inventory(MBI)". Number, percentage, hydrangea, Kolmogorov Smirnov and Mann Whitney U Test, Kruskal Wallis H, Spearman Correlation and Linear Regression Analysis were used to evaluate the data. In the research, it was found that the emotional intelligence levels, Covid-19 fears and burnout levels of nurses were high.In the correlation analysis, it was found that there was a significant relationship between the MBI Personal Achievement sub-dimension and all sub-dimensions of EIS(p<0.05).According to sociodemographic characteristics, Covid-19 fear increases as the age increases (p<0.05), MBI Desensitization score decreases (p<0.05), Health Professions High School graduates have a significant difference in MBI Desensitization sub-dimension compared to others (p<0.05), receiving training on emotional intelligence makes a significant difference in all EIS and MBI sub-dimensions and FCV-19S (p<0.05), the frequency of caring for a diagnosed/suspected patient with Covid-19 has a significant relationship with the total score of EIS (p<0.05). As a result, the high level of emotional intelligence of nurses was determined as a factor that reduces the burnout of nurses. In this respect, it is recommended to make plans for emotional intelligence training in nursing education and practices. In addition, in terms of preventive mental health, psychiatric nurses are also responsible for the preparation of nurses for global crises that may arise in future periods such as Covid-19 and for the early detection and appropriate handling of risky situations in terms of burnout.