Satisfaction with social support as a mediating resource between trait emotional intelligence and self-care agency among healthcare professionals: a cross-sectional study in Spain

Healthcare professionals are exposed to occupational stressors that threaten their well-being. Supporting healthcare professionals’ self-care is important in demanding clinical environments. Trait emotional intelligence (EI) and interpersonal resources may be relevant to self-care agency, but the pathways linking these factors remain insufficiently understood. This study examined the associations of trait EI with self-care agency, focusing on the potential mediating roles of dispositional mindfulness and satisfaction with social support. This cross-sectional study included healthcare professionals from four regions of Spain who completed an online survey. Regression analysis and structural equation modelling were used to examine five hypotheses concerning the direct, indirect, moderating and mediating associations among trait EI, dispositional mindfulness, satisfaction with social support, and self-care agency. In the parallel mediation model, trait EI was positively associated with self-care agency, and satisfaction with social support showed a significant indirect association between trait EI and self-care agency. The indirect association through dispositional mindfulness was not statistically significant. The direct association between trait EI and self-care agency remained significant after accounting for both mediators. No significant moderating effect of satisfaction with social support was found in the model. These findings highlight satisfaction with social support as a potentially relevant interpersonal resource in understanding self-care agency among healthcare professionals. However, the indirect association through social support was modest, and dispositional mindfulness did not show a significant mediating role in the parallel model. Longitudinal studies are needed to clarify the relationships between these resources and self-care agency and to determine their implications for supporting healthcare professionals’ well-being.