emotional intelligence and occupational stress among rehabilitation staffs working in tehran’s training hospitals

objectives: the purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between emotional intelligence and occupational stress among rehabilitation staffs in tehran’s training hospitals . methods: a cross-sectional study was conducted on a sample of 169 staff members selected from a total of 300 rehabilitation staffs working in tehran’s training hospitals, recruited by random cluster sampling. two questionnaires were used: the emotional intelligence questionnaire designed by petrides and furnham and hse occupational stress questionnaire. data obtained from this study were analyzed using pearson’s correlation and multiple regression tests. results: an inverse significant relationship existed between occupational stress and emotional intelligence (p<0.001, r=-0.33). there are, also, significant relationships between subscales of emotional intelligence including self-awareness (p=0.031, r=-0.18), social skills (p<0.001, r=-0.302), empathy (p=0.006, r=-0.238) and occupational stress. the results of multiple regressions indicated that the two subscales of ‘understanding other’s emotions’ and ‘social skills’ can be used for predicting occupational stress. discussion: this study confirmed the relationship between emotional intelligence and occupational stress. promotion of emotional intelligence through implementing training courses may lower rehabilitation staffs occupational stress or prevent it.