Emotional and relational skills: Cross-sectional study on emotional intelligence in Italian nursing students

• Nursing students show low levels of emotional intelligence, especially in self-management. • Gender, age, and family environment significantly influence emotional intelligence. • Interventions like emotional debriefing can improve nursing students’ emotional intelligence. Nursing students often face high levels of stress and emotionally challenging situations during their education. Emotional intelligence (EI) is crucial for managing these challenges and improving psychological health, academic performance, and professional competence. This study aimed to describe the levels of emotional intelligence among nursing students in Italy and identify the sociodemographic factors that influenced it. A cross-sectional study was conducted from July to September 2023. Data were collected using the SREIT scale and a sociodemographic questionnaire. A total of 201 nursing students from various Italian universities participated in the study. The study found that nursing students generally have low levels of EI, particularly in managing their own emotions. The median EI score was 116 out of a possible 165. Factors such as gender, age, and family environment were found to influence EI levels. Findings suggest the need for interventions to improve EI in Italian nursing students, such as emotional debriefing and relational workshops. Enhancing EI could lead to better academic performance and emotional wellbeing.