Background: The emotional intelligence is a basis for active, adaptive coping with stress. The persons with high emotional intelligence can better recognize potential stressors, can use emotions in coping with problem, as far as they cope in better way with negative emotions evoking in stressful situation. The authors verify the thesis that individual style of coping with stress is connected with the level of emotional intelligence.
Material and methods: The study was conducted among second year students of The School of Medicine. Two standardized instruments were used in the study: Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire (INTE) which measures emotional intelligence understood as an ability to recognize, understand and control emotions and Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations (CISS) which measures scoping with stress style understood as a trait of personality.
Results: The results confirm that persons with high level of emotional intelligence are more flexible in coping with stressors. It has been stated that people with higher results in case of emotional intelligence undertake more willingly active acts confronting with problem. Persons who have low results in case of emotional intelligence use mainly strategies focused on coping with their own emotions, as far as on escape style of coping.
Conclusions: The results of the presented study may become a stimulus to creating prevention projects addressed to future physicians and also to the people who are now active on professional level. The projects could prevent preserving unconstructive ways of coping with occupational stress and indirectly improve efficacy and satisfaction connected with medical care.