The Effect of Emotional Intelligence Level of Nursing Students on Spiritual Care Competence: A Cross-Sectional Research

Objective: This descriptive and correlational study was conducted to determine the effect of the emotional intelligence (EI) scale of nursing students on spiritual care (SC) competence. Material and Methods: The study was conducted in the autumn semester of the 2024-2025 academic years in the Faculty Of Health Sciences of a province with 263 students studying in the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th class of the nursing department, who met the inclusion criteria and agreed to participate in the study. A questionnaire form, Revised Schutte Emotional Intelligence Scale (RSEIS), and Spiritual Care Competence Scale (SCCS) were used to collect the data. Results: The mean RSEIS score of nursing students was 148.46±16.59, and the mean SCCS score was 98.81±15.35. It was determined that there was a positive and moderate relationship between the mean RSEIS and SCCS scores of the students (r=0.502, p<0.01) and 24.9% of the SCCS scores of the students were explained by RSEIS. Conclusion: It was determined that nursing students' EI scale and SC competencies were above average. The EI scale was determined to significantly increase SC competencies.