Assessing the Level of Emotional Intelligence among Medical Students in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Background & Objective: Healthcare is one of the areas highly dependent on emotional intelligence (EI) for professional achievement, relating to others within the healthcare sector, and psychological well-being. For medical students, EI enhances their ability to empathize, to communicate effectively, and to manage stress. But the data on EI levels among medical students in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Pakistan, is still scanty. To find out the extent of EI among MBBS students of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, and correlate it with some demographic variables. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was carried out on the MBBS students from June to August 2025 in 11 public and 10 private Medical Colleges in KP Division. They used e.g. convenience sampling to recruit participants from all academic years and they measured EI with the Schutte Self-Report Emotional Intelligence Test (SSEIT). Demographic variables of age, gender, year of study, and psychiatric illness history were considered. IBM SPSS Statistics (26.0) was used to analyze the data and test the association between the EI and the demographic variables. A p-value of less than 0.05 was deemed to be statistically significant. Results: A total of 376 students participated, of whom 234 (62.2%) were female and 142 (37.8%) were male. Results showed that female students obtained significantly higher scores in 'empathy' and 'social skills' (p=0.003) and 'self-motivation/adaptability' (p=0.003) than male students. Overall, EI scores were also significantly higher among females compared to males (123.63 ± 13.32 vs. 120.66 ± 15.28; p=0.048). The study population had a mean EI score of 123.14 ± 13.12, at which the different components of the EI showed variation in domain scores. The majority of participants displayed moderate (44.2%) or high (54.5%) EI, with only 1.3% low EI. Conclusion: The overall emotional intelligence of medical students was moderate to high in KP. There were significantly higher EI scores among female students, especially in empathy and adaptability. There was no significant difference as per the type of institution and as per the year of study. Key Words: Emotional Intelligence, Medical Students.