Emotional intelligence and compassion among paramedic students: a correlational study

Preparing paramedic students for demanding and unpredictable care contexts requires the development of competencies such as emotional intelligence and compassion, particularly in relation to emotional regulation, interpersonal interactions, and decision-making. This descriptive correlational study aimed to examine the relationship between emotional intelligence and compassion among paramedic students, explore the associations between the subdimensions of emotional intelligence and compassion, and determine which emotional intelligence dimensions explain variance in compassion levels. The study included 113 paramedic students. Data were collected using a Personal Information Form, the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire-Short Form (TEIQue-SF), and the Compassion Scale (CS). Descriptive statistics and simple and multiple linear regression analyses were performed. The results showed that paramedic students demonstrated a high level of compassion (102.12 ± 10.00). Emotional intelligence was significantly associated with compassion and its subdimensions ( p < 0.001), explaining a substantial proportion of the variance. These findings indicate that emotional intelligence is a relevant psychological characteristic associated with compassion among paramedic students. From an educational perspective, the observed associations suggest that emotional intelligence training may emerge as an important focus to bolster compassionate capacities among paramedic students. Further research could examine its relevance for curriculum design.