Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis of the Schutte Self‐Report Emotional Intelligence Scale (SSREI) in a sample of male offenders

The relationship between emotional intelligence, previous caring experience and mindfulness in student nurses and midwives: a cross sectional analysis

BACKGROUND

Emotional Intelligence (EI), previous caring experience and mindfulness training may have a positive impact on nurse education. More evidence is needed to support the use of these variables in nurse recruitment and retention.

OBJECTIVE

To explore the relationship between EI, gender, age, programme of study, previous caring experience and mindfulness training.

DESIGN

Cross sectional element of longitudinal study.

SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS

938year one nursing, midwifery and computing students at two Scottish Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) who entered their programme in September 2013.

DATA

Participants completed a measure of 'trait' EI: Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire Short Form (TEIQue-SF); and 'ability' EI: Schutte's et al. (1998) Emotional Intelligence Scale (SEIS). Demographics, previous caring experience and previous training in mindfulness were recorded.

METHODS

Relationships between variables were tested using non-parametric tests.

RESULTS

Emotional intelligence increased with age on both measures of EI [TEIQ-SF H(5)=15.157 p=0.001; SEIS H(5)=11.388, p=0.044]. Females (n=786) scored higher than males (n=149) on both measures [TEIQ-SF, U=44,931, z=-4.509, p<.001; SEIS, U=44,744, z=-5.563, p<.001]. Nursing students scored higher that computing students [TEIQ-SF H(5)=46,496, p<.001; SEIS H(5)=33.309, p<0.001. There were no statistically significant differences in TEIQ-SF scores between those who had previous mindfulness training (n=50) and those who had not (n=857) [U=22,980, z=0.864, p = 0.388]. However, median SEIS was statistically significantly different according to mindfulness training [U=25,115.5, z=2.05, p=.039]. Neither measure demonstrated statistically significantly differences between those with (n=492) and without (n=479) previous caring experience, [TEIQ-SF, U=112, 102, z=0.938, p=.348; SEIS, U=115,194.5, z=1.863, p=0.063].

CONCLUSIONS

Previous caring experience was not associated with higher emotional intelligence. Mindfulness training was associated with higher 'ability' emotional intelligence. Implications for recruitment, retention and further research are explored.

Criminal thinking styles and emotional intelligence in Egyptian offenders

BACKGROUND

The Psychological Inventory of Criminal Thinking Styles (PICTS) has been applied extensively to the study of criminal behaviour and cognition. Increasingly growing evidence indicates that criminal thinking styles vary considerably among individuals, and these individual variations appear to be crucial for a full understanding of criminal behaviour.

AIMS

This study aimed to examine individual differences in criminal thinking as a function of emotional intelligence.

METHODS

A group of 56 Egyptian male prisoners completed the PICTS and Bar-On Emotional Quotient Inventory (EQ-i). The correlations between these assessments were examined using a series of Pearson correlations coefficients, with Bonferroni correction.

RESULTS

General criminal thinking, reactive criminal thinking and five criminal thinking styles (mollification, cutoff, power orientation, cognitive indolence and discontinuity) negatively correlated with emotional intelligence. On the other hand, proactive criminal thinking and three criminal thinking styles (entitlement, superoptimism and sentimentality) did not associate with emotional intelligence.

CONCLUSIONS

Emotional intelligence is an important correlate of individual differences in criminal thinking, especially its reactive aspects. Practical implications of this suggestion were discussed.