The Relationship Between Emotional Intelligence and Self-Compassion Among Medical Students

Introduction: In the scientific literature, medical students’ emotional intelligence is associated with better professional achievements, higher quality of patient care, and lower levels of burnout. Self-compassion may help reduce experienced stress and enhance psychological well-being. Although emotional intelligence and self-compassion are important competencies for future physicians, research examining the interplay between these constructs is still lacking. Therefore, this study aims to fill this research gap. Methods: The study involved 234 medical students (years I–VI) from the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences. The participants’ mean age was 22.14 ± 3.51 years. The questionnaire consisted of the Emotional Intelligence Scale, the Self-Compassion Scale, and sociodemographic questions. Results: The findings revealed that medical students demonstrated a relatively high level of emotional intelligence. No statistically significant differences in emotional intelligence were found based on sociodemographic variables. Medical students showed a moderate level of self-compassion. They were significantly more likely (p < 0.001) to apply positive self-compassion strategies than negative ones. A statistically significant association was found between self-compassion and age (p < 0.001). A weak but statistically significant positive correlation was identified between emotional intelligence and self-compassion (rho = 0.41, p < 0.001). Conclusions: Emotional intelligence among medical students was not associated with sex, age, or study year. Self-compassion was related to some sociodemographic characteristics, excluding sex. A statistically significant association between emotional intelligence and self-compassion was observed in the sample of medical students. Keywords: emotional intelligence, self-compassion, medical students