Emotional intelligence, attachment styles and medical education

Background. For many patients, the doctors’ empathy is just as important as their clinical experience.

Objectives. The goal of this paper is to describe the level of emotional intelligence and attachment styles of medical students and health science students. Another aim is to describe the differences between the emotional intelligence and attachment styles of male and female students.

Material and methods. 328 students of the Faculty of Medicine and the Faculty of Health Science of the Pomeranian Medical University of Szczecin, Poland, took part in the research. Emotional intelligence was assessed with the use of the Schutte Self Report Emotional Intelligence Test (SSEI T). The attachment styles were assessed with the use of the Relationship Questionnaire (RQ) – an adaptation of Hazan & Shaver’s Adult Attachment Questionnaire.

Results. The students of the Faculty of Medicine showed a lower level of emotional intelligence in comparison to the students of the Faculty of Health Science. Generally, all students with a secure attachment style who participated in the research manifested a higher level of emotional intelligence. According to expectations, females obtained a higher level of emotional intelligence than males.

Conclusions. Students of the Faculty of Medicine shall be introduced to psychological prevention with special emphasis on developing emotional relations with others.