Association of Emotional Intelligence with Sleep Quality

Background: Emotional intelligence is a mixed complex of emotional self-knowledge, skill, and other characteristics that affect an individual's success in facing with pressures and environmental forces. It is also considered as a stress controller that reduces the negative consequences of anxiety. The current study was conducted to assess the relationship of emotional intelligence with exam anxiety and sleep quality among the senior high school girls in Qom, Iran. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 263 female senior high school students were selected by multistage sampling method in Qom in 2015. Data collection was conducted using four questionnaires including demographic information, Shot emotional intelligence, Petersburg sleep quality, and Exam anxiety. Data were analyzed by Pearson correlation coefficient, T-test, and analysis of Variance in SPSS. Results: Poor sleep quality was observed in 49.4% of the participants and the mean score of emotional intelligence was 144.8(18.46). Among four factors of the emotional intelligence, optimistic/ emotions adjustment had a negative significant correlation with exam anxiety and sleep quality (P<0.05). Furthermore, a direct significant correlation was observed between emotional intelligence and exam anxiety (P<0.05). Nevertheless, emotional intelligence had no significant relationship with exam anxiety and sleep quality (P>0.05). Conclusion: The prevalence of poor sleep quality in senior high school girls was high due to exam anxiety. In addition, the mean score of emotional intelligence was at a high level, which could help the adolescents in dealing with the environmental stress and emotions.