The effect of emotional intelligence training on occupational anxiety among paramedic students: a quasi-experimental study.

BACKGROUND: Paramedic students often face high levels of occupational anxiety due to heavy theoretical and clinical workloads. This anxiety can adversely affect academic performance, clinical competence and the quality of patient care. Emotional intelligence (EI), defined as the ability to recognize and manage emotions while maintaining healthy social relationships, may help reduce such anxiety. This study aimed to determine the relationship between EI and occupational anxiety in paramedic students and to evaluate the effect of a short-term EI training program on reducing occupational anxiety. METHODS: This study employed a single-group quasi-experimental design. The population consisted of students enrolled in the paramedic program, and the sample included 110 paramedic students who participated in both the pre-test and post-test assessments. The intervention involved delivering a structured EI training program to the students. Data were collected using a Demographic Information Form, the Emotional Intelligence Scale, and the Occupational Anxiety Scale. All instruments were administered twice, before and after the training. RESULTS: The mean EI score of the students increased significantly from 75.12 ± 11.15 before the training to 79.42 ± 12.59 after the training (p = 0.002). The mean occupational anxiety score decreased significantly from 59.48 ± 13.57 before the training to 54.60 ± 17.16 after the training (p = 0.003). Moreover, a significant negative correlation was found between EI and occupational anxiety (r=-0.474, p < 0.001). Regression analysis indicated that EI was a significant predictor of occupational anxiety (β=-0.560, p < 0.001), explaining 22.4% of the total variance in occupational anxiety scores. CONCLUSION: EI training significantly improved paramedic students' levels of emotional recognition/understanding, facilitation, and regulation, while significantly reducing their occupational anxiety levels. These findings highlight the importance of interventions aimed at enhancing emotional resilience in health education. Structuring training programs to support the development of EI is crucial for effective anxiety management and the prevention of burnout. CLINICAL TRIAL NUMBER: Not applicable.