The impact of emotional intelligence on life satisfaction among Chinese nurses: A chain mediating model

Introduction: Nurses’ life satisfaction exerts a positive impact on their professional careers, and it seriously affects their physical and mental health. Low life satisfaction has become a key factor in the global shortage of nurses. Emotional intelligence may protect nurses from negative emotions that can affect the care they provide, as well as their life satisfaction. In this study, we aims to explore the impact of emotional intelligence on life satisfaction, and even verify the chain mediating effect of self-efficacy and resilience on this relationship among Chineses nurses.

Method: The Emotional Intelligence Scale, the General Self, Efficacy Scale, the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale, and the Satisfaction with Life Scale were used to survey 709 nurses in southwest China. To analyze mediating effects, SPSS 26.0 and Process V3.3 were used for statistical processing.

Result: Emotional intelligence positively predicted life satisfaction. Meanwhile, it was also found that emotional intelligence and life satisfaction were continuously mediated by self-efficacy and resilience, and the indirect effect value was 0.033, accounting for 17.37%.

Conclusion: This study reveals how emotional intelligence affects nurses’ life satisfaction. The results of this study have certain implications for nurses to better balance their career and life. Nursing managers should provide nurses with a favorable working environment from the perspective of positive psychology, improve their sense of self-efficacy and resilience, ultimately improve their life satisfaction.

Introduction

Nursing is a special profession closely related to people’s health and life. Many nurses are facing a series of stressful situations, such as emotional exhaustion, low self-efficacy, low personal achievement, and low life satisfaction (Molero Jurado et al., 2019). Life satisfaction refers to the degree of subjective satisfaction generated by individual needs and wishes in various aspects (Diener, 1985). A recent study of nursing staff demonstrated that nurses who were dissatisfied with their lives were more likely to suffer from psychological disorders, with a risk as high as 2.4 times (Zakeri et al., 2021). Numerous studies have discovered that nurses’ life satisfaction is associated with resilience, gratitude disposition, job satisfaction, compassion, and self-efficacy (Yu and Lee, 2018; Zakeri et al., 2021; Milutinović et al., 2022). Furthermore, life satisfaction is positively correlated with occupational burnout, and nurses with low life satisfaction are prone to occupational burnout (Zborowska et al., 2021). Therefore, improving the life satisfaction of nurses is very important for them to maintain their careers and promote mental health.

Emotional intelligence refers to a series of ability that helps individuals accurately evaluate and understand the emotional needs of themselves and others, and rationally use emotional information to promote cognitive activities (Salovey and Mayer, 1990). A study on student registered nurse anesthetists found that emotional intelligence can help nursing students reduce the impact of negative emotions on important decisions, and positively impacts the care they provide (Christianson et al., 2021). Meanwhile, a study on Spanish nurses indicated that emotional intelligence can reduce nurses’ burnout and psychosomatic complaining, while protecting them from the negative effects of psychosocial risks and positively affecting their job satisfaction (Soto-Rubio et al., 2020). Similarly, a prior study confirmed that emotional intelligence directly predicts nurses’ life satisfaction, which means that nurses with high emotional intelligence may be more satisfied with their lives (Montes-Berges and Augusto-Landa, 2014). Thus, the hypothesis is proposed:

Hypothesis 1: Emotional intelligence significantly predicts life satisfaction.

Self-efficacy is the belief that a person can accomplish a task or achieve a goal (Deer et al., 2018), which is considered a judgment made by nursing students about their ability to handle various tasks (Arribas-Marín et al., 2021). The factor affects nurses’ motivation, actions, and behaviors during patient care (Cziraki et al., 2018). During the COVID-19 pandemic, self-efficacy was also considered beneficial to Chinese frontline nurses’ psychological health, which can effectively reduce their anxiety and depression (Hu et al., 2020). Moreover, research on medical professionals demonstrated that emotional intelligence is positively associated with self-efficacy; that is, the stronger the emotional management ability, the stronger the self-efficacy (Zeb et al., 2021). Furthermore, researchers also found that nursing students’ self-efficacy directly affects life satisfaction (Arribas-Marín et al., 2021). When nurses have a high sense of self-efficacy, they work efficiently in demanding situations, maintain good stress management skills, and ultimately improve life satisfaction. Therefore, we propose the assumption:

Hypothesis 2: Self-efficacy might mediate the relationship between emotional intelligence and life satisfaction.

Resilience means an individual capacity to adapt to adversity, trauma, and other major stressors (Aburn et al., 2016). Nurses’ resilience has been considered a skill that can help nurses overcome difficulties in the workplace (Young and Rushton, 2017), which contributes to improving healthcare quality and ensuring the sustainability of the healthcare system (Epstein and Krasner, 2013). Meanwhile, resilience has been thought to be positively correlated with emotional intelligence among critical care nurses (Lampreia-Raposo et al., 2022). Furthermore, a randomized controlled trial demonstrated that nurses’ resilience can be improved by emotional intelligence training (Mao et al., 2021). In addition, high levels of nurses’ resilience can act as a protective factor against adverse outcomes, such as burnout, anxiety, and depression (Baskin and Bartlett, 2021), it also can improve nurses’ job satisfaction (Brown et al., 2018), quality of life (Alhawatmeh et al., 2021), general well-being (García-Izquierdo et al., 2018), and life satisfaction (Labrague, 2021). Therefore, We hypothesize that:

Hypothesis 3: The relationship between emotional intelligence and life satisfaction can be mediated by resilience.

Numerous studies have depicted that emotional intelligence, self-efficacy, and resilience are positively associated with job satisfaction, well-being, and life satisfaction among nurses (Yu et al., 2019; Li et al., 2021; Platania et al., 2022). Researchers pointed out that self-efficacy directly predicts resilience in Chinese nurses, which assists them in dealing with changes and improving problem-solving ability (Ren et al., 2018). High levels of emotional intelligence endow nurses with a positive attitude toward frustration and increase their belief in coping with difficulties, which is also conducive to adapting to pressure, accelerating recovery from adversity, improving job satisfaction and happiness, and ultimately improving life satisfaction. Consequently, we pose the assumption:

Hypothesis 4: Self-efficacy and resilience jointly mediate the relationship between emotional intelligence and life satisfaction.

In conclusion, while previous literatures have separately investigated the relationship between emotional intelligence, self-efficacy, resilience, and life satisfaction, few studies have depicted how emotional intelligence affects life satisfaction through self-efficacy and resilience. Thus, this study aims to explore the potential internal mechanism between these four variables, and even verify the intermediary role of self-efficacy and resilience.

Materials and methods

Participants

In this study, participants from two provinces in Southwest China (Sichuan and Yunnan) were recruited through online advertising. Participants were required to obtain nursing certificate and be able to complete the questionnaire independently through the Internet. At the same time, participants need to have worked in the nursing field for at least 1 year, and then, they also could not be mentally ill or dependent on drugs or alcohol. Before the study, all participants were fully informed and participated in this study on a voluntary basis. Based on this, they provided written informed consent during the study. In total, 756 nurses completed the survey, of which 709 were deemed valid, and the effective response rate was 93.7%. Table 1 shows the participants’ basic characteristics.

TABLE 1

Table 1. Social demographic features and differences of nurses’ life satisfaction scores.

Measures

All measures in this study were carried out in Chinese language.

Basic sociodemographic data

A self-designed questionnaire was adopted, including gender, age, educational level, working years, nursing title, and marital status.

Emotional intelligence

The Self-reported Emotional Intelligence Scale (WEIS) was designed and validated by Wong and Law from Hong Kong (Wong and Law, 2002). The scale includes 16 items in 4 subscales, such as “I can usually guess my friends’ emotions from their behavior.” A seven-point scale system was used: “1″ = “not at all” and “7” = “very much.” The higher scores suggesting the better individual’s emotional intelligence. In the sample of China, the WEIS has been proved to be valid and reliable (Cronbach’s α = 0.83; Wong and Law, 2002). The reliability of the 4 components in this study was from 0.81 to 0.84.

Self-efficacy

The General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES) was adopted to evaluate an individual self-efficacy. Zhang et al. developed the Chinese version in 1995 (Zhang and Schwarzer, 1995) and it has been widely used by the Chinese population. The GSES is a one-dimensional structure with 10 items in total, and the scale is rated on a 4-point Likert response format, with “1” meaning “definitely false” and “4” meaning “definitely true.” This questionnaire has been measured previously by Wang et al. on Chinese college students with a reported good internal consistency and Cronbach’s α of 0.83 (Wang et al., 2020). For the current sample, Cronbach’s α = 0.879.

Resilience

The Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC) is used to evaluate individual resilience, designed by Campbell-Sills and Stein (2007) and translated by Wang et al. (2010). In the sample of China, it is verified as an efficient measurement of resilience (Cronbach’s α = 0.91; Wang et al., 2010). The measurement is a unidimensional dimension consisting of 10 items, using a 5-point Likert scale, with “1” = “none” and “5” = “always.” Sample items were: “When things change, I can adapt,” “The positive side is always on my mind when facing difficulties,” etc. A Cronbach’s coefficient of 0.927 was determined in the current study.

Life satisfaction

An assessment of participants’ satisfaction with life was conducted using the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) designed by Diner (Diener, 1985). The scale contains 5 items, and the Chinese version is highly reliable and valid (Xu et al., 2021). Nurses agreed to seven Likert responses from 0 to 7, with “1″ = “never” and “7″ = “always.” Cronbach’s coefficient for the SWLS was 0.8744 in this study, with higher scores indicating greater satisfaction with life.

Procedure

The researchers recruited all participants and provided online informed content through online platforms. Before the investigation, researchers have received unified training to ensure that all researchers follow the same guidelines, and then the researchers were assigned to each hospital. The questionnaires indicated the purpose of the investigation, the filling method, and commitment to the principle of confidentiality. The approval of the Ethics Committee of Chengdu Fourth Hospital was obtained prior to this study (number ChiCTR1900020715).

Statistical analysis

SPSS 26.0 and Process V3.3 were used for statistical analysis. An analysis of nurses’ life satisfaction was performed using the samples t-test or one-way analysis of variance. An analysis of Pearson’s correlations was conducted on both factors of emotional intelligence, self-efficacy, resilience, and life satisfaction. Process V3.3 Model 6 was adopted to test the mediation effect. The Bootstrap was used to test the significance of the mediating effects with 5,000 repeated sampling, and Two-sided inspection level α = 0.05.

Results

Table 1 shows social demographic features and differences of nurses’ life satisfaction scores. Seven hundred and nine nurses met the inclusion criteria, the differences in life satisfaction scores among subgroups with different age, educational level, working years, nursing title, and marital status were statistically significant (P < 0.05).

Control variables

Based on the statistical analysis in Table 1, the control variables were age, educational level, working years, nursing title, and marital status.

Pearson’s correlation analysis

Statistics and the Pearson’s correlation matrix for each variable are shown in Table 2. The result indicated that nurse’s emotional intelligence was positively correlated with self-efficacy, resilience, and life satisfaction. Self-efficacy was positively associated with resilience and life satisfaction. Meanwhile, nurse’s resilience was also positively associated with life satisfaction.

TABLE 2

Table 2. The statistical descriptions and associations among study variables.

The mediation effect analysis

Table 3 reports the mediation effect analysis among variables. After age, educational level, working years, nursing title, and marital status were controlled, emotional intelligence significantly predicted life satisfaction (β = 0.057, p < 0.01); emotional intelligence significantly predicted self-efficacy (β = 0.190, p < 0.001); and self-efficacy predicted life satisfaction (β = 0.288, p < 0.001), meaning that self-efficacy partially mediated between emotional intelligence and life satisfaction. At the same time, emotional intelligence significantly predicted resilience (β = 0.174, p < 0.001) and resilience predicted life satisfaction (β = 0.261, p < 0.001), meaning that resilience played a partial intermediary effect between emotional intelligence and life satisfaction. Furthermore, self-efficacy predicted resilience (β = 0.662, p < 0.001). In a word, self-efficacy and resilience played a continuous intermediary effect between nurses’ emotional intelligence and life satisfaction.

TABLE 3

Table 3. Regression analysis among study measures.

The continuous intermediary effect of self-efficacy and resilience was verified by the Bootstrap method (5,000 repeated sampling), with a 0.133 indirect effect value [95% CI: 0.100, 0.164], excluding 0 (see Table 4). Especially, the 95% confidence intervals of the three indirect effect paths did not contain 0. First, the effect size of path1 (emotional intelligence → self-efficacy → life satisfaction) was 28.95%, and the intermediary effect (self-efficacy = 0.055, 95% CI = 0.027–0.083) was significant. Second, the path2 (emotional intelligence → resilience → life satisfaction) accounted for 23.68%, and the intermediary effect (resilience = 0.045, 95% CI = 0.024–0.067) was significant. Third, the path3 (emotional intelligence → self-efficacy → resilience → life satisfaction) accounted for 17.37%, and the intermediary effect value was 0.033 [95% CI: 0.017, 0.049]. Figure 1 shows the multiple mediating model.

TABLE 4

Table 4. Bootstrap analysis of the chain mediating model.

FIGURE 1

Figure 1. Model diagram of the effect of emotional intelligence on life satisfaction (**p < 0.01, ***p < 0.001).

The comparison was conducted to testify whether there were significant differences in indirect effect paths, the result showed that none of the comparisons were significant, with the Bootstrap’s 95% CI contain 0.

Discussion

The test results indicated that emotional intelligence positively affected the life satisfaction of nurses, which confirmed Hypothesis 1. Diener has pointed out that personality traits are very important to a person’s overall quality and often determine his/her life satisfaction (Diener, 1985). Emotional intelligence thought to be the power to process emotional problems, is strongly positively correlated with life satisfaction in different populations (Delhom et al., 2017; Kasler et al., 2022; Koca, 2022). Particularly in nursing professionals, emotional intelligence related to nursing work can promote positive organizational outcomes, such as preventing occupational burnout (Molero Jurado et al., 2018) and predicting engagement (Pérez-Fuentes et al., 2018). Emotionally intelligent nurses are usually more satisfied with life because they clearly know better ways to deal with the negative emotions that arise in the environment. Moreover, emotionally intelligent people are more likely to understand the emotions of others; that is, they can perceive better and more often feel satisfied when others have positive feelings toward them. At the same time, emotional intelligence also helps individuals explain the reasons for others’ actions and avoid other people’s dissatisfaction for various reasons; hence, they experience positive emotions more often (Escoda and Alegre, 2016). Emotional intelligence is a variable trait that can be enhanced through training course, just like empathy (Cunico et al., 2012). Developing the necessary strategies to regulate or manage individual emotions, and then emotional skills incorporating structures of emotional intelligence can help them better utilize emotional information, facilitating a high level of life satisfaction (Guasp Coll et al., 2020).

After age, educational level, working years, nursing title, and marital status were controlled, the findings revealed that self-efficacy mediated the relationship between emotional intelligence and life satisfaction (Path 1), supporting Hypothesis 2. The mediating effect accounted for 28.95%. In the prior study on nursing staff, self-efficacy greatly impacted anxiety and sleep disturbances during the COVID-19 pandemic (Simonetti et al., 2021) and even positively impacted all aspects of nurses’ general health (Dadipoor et al., 2021). Researchers found that emotional intelligence, working pressure, self-efficacy, and autonomy were of great significance in improving nurses’ job satisfaction and performance (Hwang and Park, 2022). Interestingly, emotional intelligence and self-efficacy are predictors of perceived stress in nurses facing various stressful situations (Molero Jurado et al., 2019). In fact, some researches confirmed that emotional intelligence can strengthen personal internal resources, which is also extremely important to person’s self-efficacy (Gharetepeh et al., 2015; Saeed and Ahmad, 2020; Chang and Tsai, 2022). Moreover, nurses with high emotional intelligence exhibited positive attitudes and strong self-efficacy, which can mitigate the effects of stress on burnout (Yao et al., 2018). Meanwhile, self-efficacy could also promote nursing managers to adopt more positive coping styles in high-pressure work environments and effectively improve their quality of work-life (Zhang et al., 2022), as well as life satisfaction (Hajek and König, 2019).

After age, educational level, working years, nursing title, and marital status were controlled, the results of this study also found that resilience partially mediated between emotional intelligence and life satisfaction (Path 2), with the mediating effect accounted for 23.68%, confirming Hypothesis 3. The more inclined nurses were to emotional intelligence, the stronger their resilience perception ability, which positively impacted their life satisfaction. Resilience, considered an important construct in positive psychology, was significantly correlated with stress, job burnout, and turnover intention of healthcare workers (Eley et al., 2018). Similarly, several factors related to resilience have been seen in research on nursing students, including self-efficacy, optimism, emotional intelligence, and self-care (Hughes et al., 2021). Prior findings have confirmed that the more emotionally intelligent a person is, the more resilient they are to effectively deal with adversity and challenges of high workloads and expectations (Sarrionandia et al., 2018; Chen, 2019). Additionally, resilience has been verified to reduce job burnout, regulate the overall health of nurses (García-Izquierdo et al., 2018), and directly affect the well-being and life satisfaction of nurses (Kim et al., 2019).

After age, educational level, working years, nursing title, and marital status were controlled, it was found that emotional intelligence and life satisfaction were continuously mediated by self-efficacy and resilience (Path 3), with the mediating effect accounted for 17.37%, confirming Hypothesis 4. Self-efficacy and resilience jointly promoted life satisfaction, with high emotional intelligence scores indicating that nurses can reduce the intensity and presence of negative emotions, promote positive coping styles, and maintain an optimistic attitude, which positively impacted the management of stressful situations and the prevention of burnout (Molero Jurado et al., 2019; Lu et al., 2022). Along this line, those nursing professionals with high emotional intelligence gradually formed a perception of competence, namely self-efficacy. As a positive psychological driver, self-efficacy helped individuals regulate their thinking processes, emotions, and behaviors, high levels of self-efficacy were related to better mental health and improved recovery from work stress and adversity (Hu et al., 2020). Self-efficacy enhanced the confidence of nurses to complete nursing tasks and the determination to achieve clinical goals. The self-efficacy of nurses also helped them cultivate and improve their resilience by viewing failures as challenges to learn instead of a threat to avoid (Yu et al., 2019). Personal resilience played a key protective role in dealing with negative situations and emotional disturbance caused by various workplace pressures (Bhattarai et al., 2021). At the same time, interventions to enhance resilience have been proven to reduce the mental burden of nurses and have positive effects on nurses’ well-being and life satisfaction (Janzarik et al., 2022). As nurses become more resilient to stressful work environments, their mental health improves, resulting in increased well-being and life satisfaction.

Conclusion

The survey indicated that emotional intelligence positively predicted the life satisfaction of Chinese nurses. In addition, it turned out that self-efficacy and resilience played a continuous intermediary effect between emotional intelligence and life satisfaction. According to the study, the influence of emotional intelligence, self-efficacy, and resilience on life satisfaction of Chinese nurses should not be ignored. On the one hand, nurses can participate in some training to strengthen the ability of emotional intelligence, so as to improve their sense of life satisfaction. On the other hand, nursing managers should provide nurses with a favorable working environment from the perspective of positive psychology, improve their sense of self-efficacy, enhance the capacity to cope with challenges and recover from stress, and ultimately improve their life satisfaction.

Limitations

Although we have demonstrated that self-efficacy and resilience played a continuous intermediary effect between emotional intelligence and life satisfaction, our study still exists some limitations. First, the possible impact of the biases generated by online self-reporting on the accuracy of the data should not be ignored. Second, since cross-sectional data cannot be correlated causally, no causal conclusions can be drawn. Therefore, longitudinal researches or experiments can be added to further verify the results of our study. Finally, this study only involved nurses from various hospitals in China; thus, the findings may not be generalizable to the global nursing profession.

Data availability statement

The original contributions presented in the study are included in the article/Supplementary material, further inquiries can be directed to the corresponding author.

Ethics statement

The studies involving human participants were reviewed and approved by the Ethics Committee of Chengdu Fourth Hospital. The patients/participants provided their written informed consent to participate in this study.

Author contributions

YQ and JL was involved in all aspects of the study and preparation of the manuscript. DW was involved with the design of the study and preparation of the manuscript. All authors contributed to the article and approved the submitted version.

Funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant no. 82001444).

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Publisher’s note

All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article, or claim that may be made by its manufacturer, is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

References

Aburn, G., Gott, M., and Hoare, K. (2016). What is resilience? An integrative review of the empirical literature. J. Adv. Nurs. 72, 980–1000. doi: 10.1111/jan.12888

CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar

Alhawatmeh, H., Alsholol, R., Dalky, H., Al-Ali, N., and Albataineh, R. (2021). Mediating role of resilience on the relationship between stress and quality of life among Jordanian registered nurses during COVID-19 pandemic. Heliyon 7:e08378. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e08378

PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar

Arribas-Marín, J., Hernández-Franco, V., Plumed-Moreno, C., and Blanco-Blanco, Á. (2021). Applying the social cognitive model of well-being in the nursing clinical practicum: a structural equation modeling analysis with a Spanish student’s sample. Nurse Educ. Pract. 52:103028. doi: 10.1016/j.nepr.2021.103028

PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar

Baskin, R. G., and Bartlett, R. (2021). Healthcare worker resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic: An integrative review. J. Nurs. Manag. 29, 2329–2342. doi: 10.1111/jonm.13395

PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar

Bhattarai, M., Jin, Y., Smedema, S. M., Cadel, K. R., and Baniya, M. (2021). The relationships among self-efficacy, social support, resilience, and subjective well-being in persons with spinal cord injuries. J. Adv. Nurs. 77, 221–230. doi: 10.1111/jan.14573

PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar

Brown, R., Wey, H., and Foland, K. (2018). The relationship among change fatigue, resilience, and job satisfaction of hospital staff nurses. J. Nurs. Scholarsh. 50, 306–313. doi: 10.1111/jnu.12373

PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar

Campbell-Sills, L., and Stein, M. B. (2007). Psychometric analysis and refinement of the Connor-davidson resilience scale (CD-RISC): validation of a 10-item measure of resilience. J. Trauma. Stress. 20, 1019–1028. doi: 10.1002/jts.20271

PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar

Chang, Y. C., and Tsai, Y. T. (2022). The effect of university Students’ emotional intelligence, learning motivation and self-efficacy on their academic achievement-online English courses. Front. Psychol. 13:818929. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.818929

PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar

Chen, S. (2019). Chinese Adolescents’ emotional intelligence, perceived social support, and resilience-the impact of school type selection. Front. Psychol. 10:1299. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01299

PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar

Christianson, K. L., Fogg, L., and Kremer, M. J. (2021). Relationship between emotional intelligence and clinical performance in student registered nurse anesthetists. Nurs. Educ. Perspect. 42, 104–106. doi: 10.1097/01.Nep.0000000000000634

PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar

Cunico, L., Sartori, R., Marognolli, O., and Meneghini, A. M. (2012). Developing empathy in nursing students: a cohort longitudinal study. J. Clin. Nurs. 21, 2016–2025. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2702.2012.04105.x

PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar

Cziraki, K., Read, E., Spence Laschinger, H. K., and Wong, C. (2018). Nurses’ leadership self-efficacy, motivation, and career aspirations. Leadersh. Health Serv. (Bradf. Engl.) 31, 47–61. doi: 10.1108/lhs-02-2017-0003

PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar

Dadipoor, S., Alavi, A., Ghaffari, M., and Safari-Moradabadi, A. (2021). Association between self-efficacy and general health: a cross-sectional study of the nursing population. BMC Nurs. 20:49. doi: 10.1186/s12912-021-00568-5

PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar

Deer, L., Gohn, K., and Kanaya, T. (2018). Anxiety and self-efficacy as sequential mediators in US college students’ career preparation. Education + training 60, 185–197. doi: 10.1108/ET-07-2017-0096

CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar

Delhom, I., Gutierrez, M., Lucas-Molina, B., and Meléndez, J. C. (2017). Emotional intelligence in older adults: psychometric properties of the TMMS-24 and relationship with psychological well-being and life satisfaction. Int. Psychogeriatr. 29, 1327–1334. doi: 10.1017/s1041610217000722

PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar

Diener, E. (1985). The satisfaction with life scale. J. Pers. Assess. 49, 71–75. doi: 10.1207/s15327752jpa4901_13

CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar

Eley, E., Jackson, B., Burton, C., and Walton, E. (2018). Professional resilience in GPs working in areas of socioeconomic deprivation: a qualitative study in primary care. Br. J. Gen. Pract. 68, e819–e825. doi: 10.3399/bjgp18X699401

PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar

Epstein, R. M., and Krasner, M. S. (2013). Physician resilience: what it means, why it matters, and how to promote it. Acad. Med. 88, 301–303. doi: 10.1097/ACM.0b013e318280cff0

CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar

Escoda, N. P., and Alegre, A. (2016). Does emotional intelligence moderate the relationship between satisfaction in specific domains and life satisfaction? Int. J. Psychol. Psychol. Ther. 16, 131–140.

Google Scholar

García-Izquierdo, M., Meseguer de Pedro, M., Ríos-Risquez, M. I., and Sánchez, M. I. S. (2018). Resilience as a moderator of psychological health in situations of chronic stress (burnout) in a sample of hospital nurses. J. Nurs. Scholarsh. 50, 228–236. doi: 10.1111/jnu.12367

PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar

Gharetepeh, A., Safari, Y., Pashaei, T., Razaei, M., and Bagher Kajbaf, M. (2015). Emotional intelligence as a predictor of self-efficacy among students with different levels of academic achievement at Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences. J. Adv. Med. Educ. Prof. 3, 50–55.

PubMed Abstract | Google Scholar

Guasp Coll, M., Navarro-Mateu, D., Giménez-Espert, M. D. C., and Prado-Gascó, V. J. (2020). Emotional intelligence, empathy, self-esteem, and life satisfaction in Spanish adolescents: regression vs QCA Models. Front Psychol 11:1629. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01629

PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar

Hajek, A., and König, H. H. (2019). The role of optimism, self-esteem, and self-efficacy in moderating the relation between health comparisons and subjective well-being: results of a nationally representative longitudinal study among older adults. Br. J. Health Psychol. 24, 547–570. doi: 10.1111/bjhp.12367

PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar

Hu, D., Kong, Y., Li, W., Han, Q., Zhang, X., Zhu, L. X., et al. (2020). Frontline nurses’ burnout, anxiety, depression, and fear statuses and their associated factors during the COVID-19 outbreak in Wuhan, China: a large-scale cross-sectional study. EClinicalMedicine 24:100424. doi: 10.1016/j.eclinm.2020.100424

PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar

Hughes, V., Cologer, S., Swoboda, S., and Rushton, C. (2021). Strengthening internal resources to promote resilience among prelicensure nursing students. J. Prof. Nurs. 37, 777–783. doi: 10.1016/j.profnurs.2021.05.008

PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar

Hwang, W. J., and Park, E. H. (2022). Developing a structural equation model from Grandey’s emotional regulation model to measure nurses’ emotional labor, job satisfaction, and job performance. Appl. Nurs. Res. 64:151557. doi: 10.1016/j.apnr.2021.151557

PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar

Janzarik, G., Wollschläger, D., Wessa, M., and Lieb, K. (2022). A group intervention to promote resilience in nursing professionals: a randomised controlled trial. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 19:649. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19020649

PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar

Kasler, J., Walter, O., and Elias, M. J. (2022). Life satisfaction in emerging adults: the role of emotional and spiritual intelligences. J. Am. Coll. Heal. 1-10, 1–10. doi: 10.1080/07448481.2022.2058881

PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar

Kim, S. R., Park, O. L., Kim, H. Y., and Kim, J. Y. (2019). Factors influencing well-being in clinical nurses: a path analysis using a multi-mediation model. J. Clin. Nurs. 28, 4549–4559. doi: 10.1111/jocn.15045

PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar

Koca, F. (2022). COVID-19 outbreak: mitigating role of college Students’ emotional intelligence in the relationship between psychological distress and satisfaction with life. Psychiatr. Danub. 34, 133–138. doi: 10.24869/psyd.2022.133

PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar

Labrague, L. J. (2021). Resilience as a mediator in the relationship between stress-associated with the Covid-19 pandemic, life satisfaction, and psychological well-being in student nurses: a cross-sectional study. Nurse Educ. Pract. 56:103182. doi: 10.1016/j.nepr.2021.103182

PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar

Lampreia-Raposo, C., Rodrigues-Correia, P., Caldeira-Berenguer, S., Mascarenhas-Rabiais, I., and Madureira-Mendes, M. (2022). Critical care nurses’ emotional intelligence: a scoping review. Enferm Clin (Engl Ed). 33, 68–71. doi: 10.1016/j.enfcle.2022.04.005

PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar

Li, X., Fang, X., Wang, L., Geng, X., and Chang, H. (2021). Relationship between emotional intelligence and job well-being in Chinese registered nurses: mediating effect of communication satisfaction. Nurs. Open 8, 1778–1787. doi: 10.1002/nop2.820

PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar

Lu, Q., Wang, B., Zhang, R., Wang, J., Sun, F., and Zou, G. (2022). Relationship between emotional intelligence, self-acceptance, and positive coping styles among Chinese psychiatric nurses in Shandong. Front. Psychol. 13:837917. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.837917

PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar

Mao, L., Huang, L., and Chen, Q. (2021). Promoting resilience and lower stress in nurses and improving inpatient experience through emotional intelligence training in China: a randomized controlled trial. Nurse Educ. Today 107:105130. doi: 10.1016/j.nedt.2021.105130

PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar

Milutinović, D., Marcinowicz, L., Jovanović, N. B., and Dragnić, N. (2022). Impact of compassion satisfaction and compassion fatigue on satisfaction with life in Serbian and polish nurses: a cross-sectional study. Int. Nurs. Rev. doi: 10.1111/inr.12793

PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar

Molero Jurado, M. D. M., Pérez-Fuentes, M. D. C., Gázquez Linares, J. J. G., Simón Márquez, M. D. M., and Martos Martínez, Á. (2018). Burnout risk and protection factors in certified nursing aides. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 15:1116. doi: 10.3390/ijerph15061116

PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar

Molero Jurado, M. D. M., Pérez-Fuentes, M. D. C., Oropesa Ruiz, N. F., Simón Márquez, M. D. M., and Gázquez Linares, J. J. (2019). Self-efficacy and emotional intelligence as predictors of perceived stress in nursing professionals. Medicina (Kaunas) 55:237. doi: 10.3390/medicina55060237

PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar

Montes-Berges, B., and Augusto-Landa, J. M. (2014). Emotional intelligence and affective intensity as life satisfaction and psychological well-being predictors on nursing professionals. J. Prof. Nurs. 30, 80–88. doi: 10.1016/j.profnurs.2012.12.012

PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar

Pérez-Fuentes, M. D. C., Molero Jurado, M. D. M., Gázquez Linares, J. J., and Oropesa Ruiz, N. F. (2018). The role of emotional intelligence in engagement in nurses. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 15:915. doi: 10.3390/ijerph15091915

PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar

Platania, S., Gruttadauria, S. V., and Morando, M. (2022). Dispositional resilience as mediator in psychological stress on healthcare workers: a multi-group analysis of frontline and non-frontline workers. Eur J Investig Health Psychol Educ 12, 1285–1299. doi: 10.3390/ejihpe12090089

PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar

Ren, Y., Zhou, Y., Wang, S., Luo, T., Huang, M., and Zeng, Y. (2018). Exploratory study on resilience and its influencing factors among hospital nurses in Guangzhou, China. Int J Nurs Sci 5, 57–62. doi: 10.1016/j.ijnss.2017.11.001

PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar

Saeed, W., and Ahmad, R. (2020). Association of demographic characteristics, emotional intelligence and academic self-efficacy among undergraduate students. J. Pak. Med. Assoc. 70, 1–460. doi: 10.5455/jpma.11384

PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar

Salovey, P., and Mayer, J. D. (1990). Emotional intelligence. Imagin. Cogn. Pers. 9, 185–211. doi: 10.2190/DUGG-P24E-52WK-6CDG

CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar

Sarrionandia, A., Ramos-Díaz, E., and Fernández-Lasarte, O. (2018). Resilience as a mediator of emotional intelligence and perceived stress: a cross-country study. Front. Psychol. 9:2653. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02653

PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar

Simonetti, V., Durante, A., Ambrosca, R., Arcadi, P., Graziano, G., Pucciarelli, G., et al. (2021). Anxiety, sleep disorders and self-efficacy among nurses during COVID-19 pandemic: a large cross-sectional study. J. Clin. Nurs. 30, 1360–1371. doi: 10.1111/jocn.15685

PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar

Soto-Rubio, A., Giménez-Espert, M. D. C., and Prado-Gascó, V. (2020). Effect of emotional intelligence and psychosocial risks on burnout, job satisfaction, and Nurses’ health during the COVID-19 pandemic. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 17:998. doi: 10.3390/ijerph17217998

PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar

Wang, L., Shi, Z., Zhang, Y., and Zhang, Z. (2010). Psychometric properties of the 10-item Connor-Davidson resilience scale in Chinese earthquake victims. Psychiatry Clin. Neurosci. 64, 499–504. doi: 10.1111/j.1440-1819.2010.02130.x

PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar

Wang, K., Yang, Y., Zhang, T., Ouyang, Y., Liu, B., and Luo, J. (2020). The relationship between physical activity and emotional intelligence in college students: the mediating role of self-efficacy. Front. Psychol. 11:967. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00967

PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar

Wong, C. S., and Law, K. S. (2002). The effects of leader and follower emotional intelligence on performance and attitude: An exploratory study. Leadership Quarterly 13, 243–274. doi: 10.1016/S1048-9843(02)00099-1

CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar

Xu, X., Chen, L., Yuan, Y., Xu, M., Tian, X., Lu, F., et al. (2021). Perceived stress and life satisfaction among Chinese clinical nursing teachers: a moderated mediation model of burnout and emotion regulation. Front. Psych. 12:548339. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2021.548339

PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar

Yao, Y., Zhao, S., Gao, X., An, Z., Wang, S., Li, H., et al. (2018). General self-efficacy modifies the effect of stress on burnout in nurses with different personality types. BMC Health Serv. Res. 18:667. doi: 10.1186/s12913-018-3478-y

PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar

Young, P. D., and Rushton, C. H. (2017). A concept analysis of moral resilience. Nurs. Outlook 65, 579–587. doi: 10.1016/j.outlook.2017.03.009

PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar

Yu, M., and Lee, H. (2018). Impact of resilience and job involvement on turnover intention of new graduate nurses using structural equation modeling. Jpn. J. Nurs. Sci. 15, 351–362. doi: 10.1111/jjns.12210

PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar

Yu, F., Raphael, D., Mackay, L., Smith, M., and King, A. (2019). Personal and work-related factors associated with nurse resilience: a systematic review. Int. J. Nurs. Stud. 93, 129–140. doi: 10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2019.02.014

PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar

Zakeri, M. A., Hossini Rafsanjanipoor, S. M., Zakeri, M., and Dehghan, M. (2021). The relationship between frontline nurses’ psychosocial status, satisfaction with life and resilience during the prevalence of COVID-19 disease. Nurs. Open 8, 1829–1839. doi: 10.1002/nop2.832

PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar

Zborowska, A., Gurowiec, P. J., Młynarska, A., and Uchmanowicz, I. (2021). Factors affecting occupational burnout among nurses including job satisfaction, life satisfaction, and life orientation: a cross-sectional study. Psychol. Res. Behav. Manag. 14, 1761–1777. doi: 10.2147/prbm.S325325

PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar

Zeb, S., Akbar, A., Gul, A., Haider, S. A., Poulova, P., and Yasmin, F. (2021). Work-family conflict, emotional intelligence, and general self-efficacy among medical practitioners during the COVID-19 pandemic. Psychol. Res. Behav. Manag. 14, 1867–1876. doi: 10.2147/prbm.S333070

PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar

Zhang, C., Gong, X., Xiao, Y., Zhong, Y., Zhong, Y., Chen, L., et al. (2022). Relationships between self-efficacy, coping style and quality of work-life among nursing managers in China: a cross-sectional study. J. Nurs. Manag. 30, 3236–3246. doi: 10.1111/jonm.13753

PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar

Zhang, J. X., and Schwarzer, R. (1995). Measuring optimistic self-beliefs: a Chinese adaptation of the general self-efficacy scale. Psychologia 8, 301–325. doi: 10.1080/09515089508573160

CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar