Emotional Intelligence as a Protective Moderator in the Association between Occupational Stress and Mental Health among Nursing Professionals

Description

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19469282

Anmol¹ and Kalpana Singh² (Department of Psychology, Shri Murli Manohar Town PG College, Ballia, Uttar Pradesh¹ and Department of Psychology, DAV PG College (Banaras Hindu University), Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh¹)

Nursing Professionals operate in high-stress healthcare environments, with Indian nurses facing additional challenges such as heavy workloads, extended working hours, and inadequate institutional resources. Persistent occupational stress adversely affects mental health outcomes. Emotional Intelligence (EI) has been identified as a potential protective factor in stressful professional settings. The present study examined the moderating role of EI in the relationship between occupational stress and mental health among nursing staff. A sample of 304 nurses from six government and private healthcare institutions in Uttar Pradesh completed standardized measures of nursing stress, emotional intelligence, and mental health. Pearson’s correlation and moderation analyses were conducted. Results indicated that occupational stress was negatively associated with both EI and mental health, while EI was positively related to mental health. Moderation analyses revealed that EI significantly buffered the adverse effects of stress on mental health. All four EI dimensions contributed to this effect, with perceiving and managing emotions demonstrating the strongest influence. These findings highlight EI as a critical resilience resource in high-stress healthcare environments.