Introduction: An occupational stress was reported as an inhibitor of optimal performance among nurses. Emotional intelligence (EI) has emerged as a successful behavioral buffer against occupational stress and as a facilitator for better performance. This study aimed to investigate the potential relationship between nurses' EI and their work performance; and to examine the mediating role of occupational stress.
Design: A predictive correlational design was adopted.
Method: Self-reported questionnaires were administered to 391 full-time bedside nurses recruited from one of the big hospitals in Saudi Arabia, between April and June 2021. Data were coded and analyzed using IBM SPSS version 25.0. Simple and multiple linear regression analyses were used to test the hypotheses. The significance level for all tests was set at p ≤ 0.05. Bonferroni correction method was used to control the family-wise error rate.
Results: The findings revealed an affirmative association between nurses' EI and work performance (β = 0.69, p < 0.001; r2 = 0.483). Additionally, an inverse association was established between nurses' EI and their perception of occupational stress (β = -0.54, p < 0.001; r2 = 0.286), and between nurses' perception of occupational stress and work performance (β = -0.52; p < 0.001; r2 = 0.226). Additionally, our results showed that occupational stress played a mediating role in the relationship between nurses' EI and work performance.
Conclusion: This study presented a novel framework that includes two factors affecting work performance among nurses in Saudi Arabia. Our results suggest that EI is vital for effective work performance among nurses. Additionally, EI was found to be a useful coping strategy against occupational stress.
Clinical relevance: EI has been described as a valuable asset for better performance and effective group cohesiveness among nurses. Optimal nurses᾽ performance leads to meeting patients᾽ needs and organizational goals.
Keywords: emotional intelligence; nursing practice; occupational stress; performance; policy development.
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