Exploring Emotional Intelligence: Understanding Its Impact on Mental Health and Burnout in Medical Students

Abstract

The present investigation was conducted to study the relationship among emotional intelligence, mental health and burnout in medical students. Many researches have highlighted the impact of emotional intelligence in reducing negative mental health symptoms and experience of burnout in medical students all over the world. The study explored this relationship in different medical universities of Karachi, Pakistan. A cross-sectional research design was employed and data was collected through non-probability convenient sampling. The questionnaire included a demographic form, Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire (TEIQue), Malasch Burnout Inventory (MBI) and Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21). The data collected was analyzed through SPSS version 26 where descriptive frequency, correlation and chi-square analysis were applied. The findings revealed that medical students with high emotional intelligence indicated low levels of anxiety, depression and stress as well as burnout. The results exhibit emotional intelligence as a significant predictor of mental health and burnout in medical students.