Emotional intelligence and life satisfaction among health sciences students: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Perceived emotional intelligence has been associated with psychological wellbeing and may be particularly relevant among health sciences students exposed to academic and interpersonal demands. This study examined the association between perceived emotional intelligence and life satisfaction among health sciences students. A cross-sectional analytical study was conducted in January 2023 among 334 undergraduate students enrolled in Medicine, Nursing, Nutrition, and Physiotherapy at an Ecuadorian university. Perceived emotional intelligence was assessed using the 24-item Trait Meta-Mood Scale (TMMS-24), and life satisfaction was assessed using the five-item Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS). Age, sex, and academic program were included as covariates in the adjusted model. Group differences were examined using non-parametric tests, the association between the study variables using Spearman's rank correlation, and adjusted associations using multiple linear regression. Perceived emotional intelligence was positively associated with life satisfaction (ρ = 0.383, p < 0.001). In the adjusted model, perceived emotional intelligence remained positively associated with life satisfaction ( B = 0.194, 95% CI 0.125–0.263, β = 0.292, p < 0.001). Female students reported lower life satisfaction than male students ( B = −2.145, 95% CI −3.982 to −0.308, p = 0.022), whereas no significant sex difference was observed in perceived emotional intelligence. No statistically significant differences in either construct were detected across academic programs or ethnic groups. The adjusted model explained 10.7% of the variance in life satisfaction ( R 2 = 0.107). Perceived emotional intelligence was positively associated with life satisfaction among Ecuadorian health sciences students after adjustment for age, sex, and academic program. The modest variance explained by the model supports a multifactorial interpretation of life satisfaction. Given the cross-sectional design, these findings should be interpreted as associations rather than causal relationships.