Emotional intelligence and self-esteem among Saudi Arabian and Indian nursing students: findings from two countries.

INTRODUCTION: Understanding the emotional intelligence (EI) and self-esteem of Indian and Saudi nursing students is important because their future nurse-patient relationships may be influenced by factors related to their unique cultural contexts. Hence, this study sought to investigate the EI and self-esteem of nursing students in Saudi Arabia and India. METHODS: A descriptive-comparative research design was used to compare 660 nursing students from Saudi Arabia and India who were enrolled in the study from September 2022 to January 2023. Nursing students were recruited from University A in Riyadh and University B in Abha, Saudi Arabia, and from University C in India. RESULTS: The study found significant differences in EI scores based on year of study (p < .011), age (p < .024), residence (p < .005), and academic performance (p < .008). Students in later years, over 20 years old, from urban areas, and with good grades, had higher EI scores. Conversely, only age showed a significant difference in the self-esteem scores (p < .002). The year of study (p > .670), residence (p > .430), and academic performance (p > .526) did not significantly affect self-esteem. Finally, urban residence and good academic performance were significant predictors of EI (p < .005), while none of the demographics predicted self-esteem (p > .005). CONCLUSION: Higher emotional intelligence among nursing students can be associated with several variables, such as being in the higher years of study, older age, residing in an urban area, and good academic performance, whereas self-esteem appears to be hardly affected by these indicators but probably influenced by other aspects that were not measured. This implies that educators in relation to self-esteem should know the relationship between emotional intelligence and nursing practice besides healthcare establishments; they need to enhance their teaching methods so that learners can have more resilient attitudes towards work, provide quality patient care, and promote a better learning environment for nurses who will become stronger professionally in the future.

Sociocultural and perceived public image of nurses among nursing students: the mediating role of self-concept.

BACKGROUND: Studying the public perception of nurses among nursing students is vital in establishing strategic solutions to recruit and retain more students in nursing programs and to contain nurses in the health care system. AIM: This study aimed to determine the mediating role of self-concept in the relationship between sociocultural and perceived public image of nurses. METHODS: This study employed a correlational approach using convenience sampling of 1390 participants. This study was conducted at six large universities in three regions of Saudi Arabia (central, northern, and eastern). Student nurses in their second to fourth years of study were included as participants, with an 89.7% response rate. Data were collected from January to April 2023. RESULTS: A significant positive relationship was observed between sociocultural factors and self-concept (r = .685, p = .0001). In addition, there was a significant positive relationship between self-concept and public image (PI) (r = .352, p value = 0.0001). Furthermore, there was a significant positive relationship between sociocultural and public image (r = .456, p = .0001); sociocultural had a direct effect on self-concept (ß = 0.324, SE = 0.098, t = 9.429, p < .0001) and public image (ß = 0.605, SE = 0.038, t = 22.617, p < .0001). Furthermore, sociocultural had an indirect effect on public image through self-concept (H6) (ß = 0.389, SE = 0.123, t = 12.766, p < .0001). DISCUSSION: The study findings suggest that nursing school programs should take measures to foster a supportive environment that promotes self-concept and public image, while also being mindful of the sociocultural background. This would also open the scope for further research on the matter involving multiple centers. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests the need for programs to boost self-concept and public image that consider sociocultural influences. These 'findings have crucial implications for student nurses' social and psychological wellbeing as they improve the understanding of how sociocultural affects self-concept and public image.