The influence of emotional intelligence on academic stress among medical students in Neyshabur, Iran.

BACKGROUND: Although, several novel strategies related to coping with stress dominate the possible vicissitudes that may occur, academic stress and its mental and physical outcomes remain a serious public concern among college students. Available data on how/where intervention-based novel strategies and emotional intelligence skills can influence students' ability to deal with stress and crisis situations is still unclear. This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of an educational intervention based on emotional intelligence on the level of academic stress components among Iranian medical students. METHODS: This research has been done in two descriptive and quasi-experimental sections in the academic year 2018-2019. To determine the effect of emotional intelligence components on stress levels, this descriptive study was performed on 200 students. Then, a quasi-experimental study was then conducted to determine the impact of an emotional intelligence component-based educational intervention on academic stress-coping skills. Data were collected through a personal information questionnaire, Bradbury and Graves's emotional intelligence questionnaire, and Gadzella's academic stress questionnaire. RESULTS: Most of the participants were female (72.3%) married (72%), non-native (62.1%), and second or third academic years (78.5%). The mean number of academic years of employment was 9.5. The mean age of students were 23 ± 3.5 years old. Intervention based on emotional intelligence significantly (p < 0.05) improved students' emotional intelligence skills and decreased their academic stress and reactions to stressors in the intervention group. CONCLUSION: It appears that emotional intelligence training is a feasible and highly acceptable way to develop coping skills with academic stress; therefore, such training is essential to be considered as part of university education to improve students' education quality and their skills to study without academic stress.

The predictors of the use of complementary and alternative medicine among type 2 diabetes patients based on the health belief model.

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the predictors of the use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in patients with type 2 diabetes based on the health belief model (HBM). Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed in 2019 (from April to September) on 837 type 2 diabetic patients by multi-stage sampling method. Valid and reliable tools (questionnaire of using CAM modalities based on the HBM, self-care behavior section, and use of CAM section) were used to collect data. Data were analyzed using SPSS software version 24. Results: Based on the results, the constructs of the HBM were able to predict 37% of the variance of behavior using CAM. Constructs of perceived threat, perceived barriers, and cues to action had the most significant effect on predicting the behavior of using CAM (p < 0.001). In this study, the mean (±SD) of patients' self-care behaviors were 26.72 (±3.21) (out of a score of 40). Based on the results of the Pearson correlation, a significant positive correlation was observed between perceived threat (r = 0.374) and cues to action (r = 0.303) with using CAM modalities (p < 0.001). There was also a significant negative correlation between perceived barriers and using of CAM (r = -0.589, p < 0.001). Conclusion: Based on the obtained results, the HBM is useful in predicting the use of CAM, and due to the significant impact constructs of perceived threat, perceived barriers, and cues to action, it is better to pay more attention to these constructs in educational programs for patients with type 2 diabetes.