A Cross Sectional Study On Emotional Intelligence And Its Relation To Coping Style: Comparing First Year Under Graduate Medical Students With Medical Interns

BACKGROUND: Emotional intelligence and coping strategies play crucial roles in mental health, the study of relationship between these two variables as important factors influencing doctors mental health can be of great help in achieving broader models in order to explain them. AIM: To access emotional intelligence and its relation to coping style by comparing first year undergraduate medical students with interns. MATERALS AND METHODS: cross sectional study in a tertiary care hospital and medical college by calculating sample size using epi info software .Total 300 students enrolled in this study , duration: 6 months. MENTAL HEALTH SCREENING FORM 3,THE SCHUTTE SELF REPORT EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE TEST (SSEIT) ,THE COPING SELF EFFICACY SCALE (CSES) used. RESULT: When CSES Score of students and interns are compared, there is statistically significant difference observed between 2 groups , p value = 0.001. When SSEIT Score of students and interns are compared, there is statistically significant difference observed between 2 groups, p value < 0.001. There is positive correlation found between CSES and SSEIT scores in students , p value<0.001. There is correlation found between CSES and SSEIT scores in interns, p value < 0.001. CONCLUSION: For an effective clinical practice medical professionals need to have high emotional intelligence in addition high IQ. It is desirable to incorporate EQ into medical teaching curriculum in India to this need as a benchmark.