The mediating role of emotional empathy in the relationship between nursing students' emotional intelligence levels and their self-efficacy in pain management

Abstract

Background: In nursing care emotional intelligence and emotional empathy are important competencies, so determining their roles in pain management self-efficacy has become required for nursing students. Aim: To determine the mediating role of emotional empathy in the relationship between nursing students' emotional intelligence levels and their pain management self-efficacy. Design: This is a cross-sectional and correlational study. Settings: The study was conducted at a nursing department of a state university in Turkey between 15 May-31 June 2024 in the spring semester of the 2023-2024 academic year. Participants: The study population consisted of 2nd, 3rd, and 4th year nursing students with clinical practice experience (N = 326). Methods: Data were collected with personal information form, emotional intelligence trait scale short form, pain management self-efficacy scale, and multidimensional emotional empathy scale. Pearson r correlation, linear regression analysis and PROCESS Macro simple mediation analysis were used for advanced data analyses. Results: There were statistically significant and moderate positive correlation between emotional intelligence and pain management self-efficacy levels (r = 0.361, p < 0.01), emotional intelligence and emotional empathy levels (r = 0.343, p < 0.01), and pain management self-efficacy and emotional empathy levels (r = 0.358, p < 0.01) of the students. Emotional intelligence and emotional empathy were predictors of pain management self-efficacy (13 % and 12.8 %, respectively). Emotional empathy had a partial mediating role in the relationship between emotional intelligence and pain management self-efficacy (indirect effect = 0.1246, 95 % CI = [0.0667, 0.1987]). Conclusions: Emotional intelligence, emotional empathy, and pain management self-efficacy were positively correlated. Emotional intelligence and emotional empathy can be predictors for pain management self-efficacy. Emotional empathy was a partial mediator that enables nursing students' emotional intelligence skills to reflect on their pain management self-efficacy.