The Effect of Emotional Intelligence on Maternity Role

Aim: The relationship between emotion and intelligence is among the philosophical issues that have been discussed throughout human history. Scientists, who discovered that managing emotions has an important role in the success of people in personal and business life, developed the concept of ‘emotional intelligence’ and added emotional intelligence; they defined emotions as an ability to understand and to deal with emotions. This research was conducted to evaluate the relationship between the emotional intelligence of mothers and their motherhood role. Material and Methods: 211 women who applied to the University Hospital Maternity Service and outpatient clinics were interviewed using “Personal Information Form”, “ Schutte Self-Report Emotional Intelligence Test” (SSEIT) and “Semantic Difference Scale-I as Mother”. Results: The average age of women was 35.7 ± 8.9. 47.9% had undergraduate and above education, 62.1% were employed and 85.8% had social security coverage. A significant correlation was found between the Schutte Self-Report Emotional Intelligence Test Scale (144.14 ± 18.122) and the Semantic Difference Scale-I as Mother scale (61.53 ± 9.100) scores (p =0.001). In addition, the maternity role scores increased significantly with the age (p =0.009). Emotional Intelligence scores were significantly associated with an increased level of education (p =0.001). At the same time, Emotional Intelligence scores were higher in women who had social security (p =0.001). Conclusion: Our study showed that mothers with high emotional intelligence find themselves more successful in performing their motherhood role.