Health Workers Need More Than Emotional Intelligence to Regulate Stress During Health Crises

The covid-19 pandemic is a recent health crisis worldwide. Stress in health workers concerns their crucial role in providing health care in the referral hospital for Covid-19. The stressors were sourced from work settings but also combined with a higher risk of infecting others in daily interactions. One of the effective buffers for stress is understanding emotions in oneself and others, formulated as emotional intelligence. However, little to no evidence of emotional intelligence prevents stress among health workers in health crisis settings. This study examined the association between emotional intelligence and stress among health workers working in referral hospitals for Covid-19. A quantitative design using simple random sampling to select six hospitals participated in this study. Ninety-two health workers completed two questionnaires between December 2021 and March 2022, including Schutte Emotional Intelligence (SEIS) and Depression Anxiety Stress Scale 21 (DASS-21). A simple linear regression analysis was applied, and the results showed no significant association of emotional intelligence toward general stress levels among health workers in the referral hospital for Covid-19. Health workers may have mediating or moderating socio-cognitive factors to cope with stress in health crises, such as self-esteem, self-compassion, and social support. Keywords: Covid-19 pandemic, emotional intelligence, health crisis, health worker, stres