The Relationship Between Emotional Intelligence, Perceived Self-efficacy And Coping Style In College Nursing Students

Objective: (1) To explore nursing college students' characteristics of emotional intelligence, perceived self-efficacy and coping style. (2) To determine the relationship between emotional intelligence, perceived self-efficacy and coping style.Methods: On the foundation of the literature review, Chinese Emotional Intelligence Scale, General Self-Efficacy Scale and Simple Coping Style Scale were used to investigate nursing college students' levels of emotional intelligence, perceived self-efficacy and coping style. Emotional intelligence was evaluated all round from the total level and 4 aspects: emotion of perception, emotion of utilization, emotion of understanding and emotion of regulation; perceived self-efficacy was measured using general perceived self-efficacy, and coping style was evaluated with positive coping and negative coping. 1194 students were enrolled from 6 domestic advanced nursing schools participated in this study.Results:1. Compared with the other field college students, the nursing college students' emotional intelligence score was lower. Among them, emotion utilization score > emotion regulation score > emotion perception score > emotion understanding score (F=65.847, P＜0.001); by diversity test, the author found that emotional intelligence had significant differences in only-child or not, urban or rural and cadre or not. Only-child students, urban students and cadre students' emotional intelligence scores were separately higher than multi-children students (t=2.013, P<0.05), rural students (t=2.678, P＜0.01) and ordinary students (t=4.596, P<0.001).2. Nursing college students' perceived self-efficacy score was lower than medical college students, and it had significant differences in different education background, only-child or not, urban and rural, cadre or not and grades. Regular college course students, only-child students, urban students and cadre students' perceived self- efficacy scores were separately higher than special college course students (t=2.116,P<0.05), multi-children students (t=4.596,P<0.05), rural students (t=2.409,P<0.05), ordinary students(t=5.027, P<0.001). Along with grade increasing, the students' perceived self-efficacy score also increased (F=3.787, P<0.05).3. Nursing college students' positive coping score was higher than domestic model, while negative coping score was lower than that. To positive coping, it had significant differences in education background, cadre and grades. Regular college course students, cadre students and senior students' positive coping scores were separately more than special college course students (t=2.881, P＜0.01), ordinary students(t=1.999, P＜0.05) and junior students (F=5.652, P<0.01); but negative coping had significant differences in gender, cadre and grades. Male students, cadre students, junior students' negative coping scores were separately lower than female students (t=2.881, P<0.01), ordinary students (t=3.915, P＜0.001), senior students (F=3.919, PO.01).4. Rank diversity analysis indicated that different levels of emotional intelligence, nursing students' perceived self-efficacy, positive coping style and negative coping style were significantly different (F=168.088,PO.001; F= 106.812, P＜0.001; F=4.402, P＜0.05).5. By correlation analysis, we testified that nursing students' emotional intelligence had significant positive relationships with perceived self-efficacy and positive coping style(r=0.514,P＜0.001;r=0.454,P＜0.001), and had weak negative relationship with negative coping style (r=-0.077, P＜0.01); Perceived self-efficacy had significant positive relationship with positive coping style, and had weak negative relationship with negative coping style(r=0.388,P<0.001;r=-0.074, P<0.05).6. Regression analysis indicated that emotional intelligence was an important predictor for perceived self-efficacy and positive coping style (R~2=0.264; R~2=0.206.Conclusions:1. Nursing college students' emotional intelligence level was not good, and factors were not balance, ability of emotion utilization was the best, while ability of emotion understanding was the worst. Their emotional intelligence was influenced by demography variables, such as only-child or not, urban or rural, cadre or not and so on.2. Nursing college students' perceived self-efficacy was weak in all, and it was influenced by education background, only-child or not, urban or rural, cadre or not and grades.3. Nursing college students' coping style showed a good trend .Positive coping style was affected by education background, cadre or not and grades. While negative coping style was affected by gender, cadre or not and grades.4. Nursing college students' emotional intelligence had positive relationship with perceived self-efficacy. Emotional intelligence could predict perceived self-efficacy very well .So emotional intelligence had significant good impact on perceived self-efficacy.5. Nursing college students' emotional intelligence had positive relationship with positive coping style and negative relationship with negative coping style. Emotional intelligence could predict positive coping style well, and predict negative coping style weakly. These showed emotional intelligence had direct impact on coping style.6. Perceived self-efficacy had significant positive relationship with positive coping style, and had weak negative relationship with negative coping style. That showed emotional intelligence can not only impact coping style directly, but also impacted it indirectly through operating on perceived self-efficacy.7. In order to establish a strong basis for high-diathesis talented nurses, the author comment that nursing educators should emphases on enhancing nursing college students' emotional intelligence by various approaches to increase their perceived self-efficacy and positive coping style besides professional knowledge and skill training.