THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE COMPONENTS AND CRITICAL THINKING IN NURSING AND MIDWIFERY STUDENTS OF BUSHEHR UNIVERSITY OF MEDICAL SCIENCES

Background & Aim: One of the important aspects in education is the psychological backgrounds which can be effective in Critical thinking (CT). Critical Thinking and Emotional Intelligence are essential skills in health care to provide optimal care for patients. The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation of emotional intelligence (EI) with CT. Materials & Methods: This was a descriptive correlation study. A total of 100 nursing and midwifery students of Bushehr University of Medical Sciences participated in this study during the second semester of the academic year 2017. The Data was collected by California Critical Thinking Skills Test and Bar-On EI inventory and with descriptive statistics (frequency, mean, standard deviation) and analytical statistics (Spearman correlation, Pearson correlation, T test, regression model) were analyzed using SPSS-PC (v.16). Results: there is a positive correlation between total CT score and total EI score (p<0.05). It is in components of EI intrapersonal, adaptation, and stress management (p≤0.05). The regression model shows stress management is as predictive factor for CT. Conclusion: This study suggested more focus to components of EI intrapersonal, adaptation, and stress management of students to prepare students for entry into professional practice. Students, while faced with complex situations and decisions in the clinical setting, need to adapt and attention to human needs. In this regard, the integration of critical thinking with cognitive-emotional approaches in nursing and midwifery education programs is suggested.