Evaluation of emotional intelligence, sleep quality, and fatigue among Iranian medical, nursing, and paramedical students: A cross-sectional study

Background: Sleep disorders and fatigue in students may affect emotional intelligence, which is associated with increased risk of cognitive and mental disorders. The aim of this study was to determine sleep quality, fatigue, emotional intelligence, and related factors in Iranian medical students. Methods: This cross-sectional research was conducted in 2016. A total of 400 students were randomly selected from Semnan University of Medical Sciences. Data collection tools included questionnaires for demographic information, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and Bradbury-Graves's Emotional Intelligence Inventory and Multidimensional Fatigue Symptom Inventory-Short Form (MFSI-SF). Results: The quality of sleep was unsatisfactory for 38.5% students, 86.2% did not have general fatigue, and 13.8% were suffering from low overall fatigue. Moreover, 6% displayed low, 24% normal, and 70% high emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence showed a positive correlation with sleep quality (p = 0.044) and a negative correlation with general fatigue (p = 0.018). Sleep quality showed a negative correlation with general fatigue (p < 0.001). Conclusion: This study demonstrated a significant relationship between sleep quality and fatigue with emotional intelligence and a significant relationship between sleep quality and fatigue.