Emotional intelligence in nurses: The Trait Meta-Mood Scale

Abstract

Objective: In this context, the goal of our study is double. First to explore the psychometric properties of the TMMS-24 in a sample of Spanish nurses and second to provide some percentiles for interpreting EI levels in Spanish nurses. Methods: A correlational descriptive study design was used to evaluate the psychometric properties of the TMMS-24. This study was conducted in a sample of 530 nurses from 11 Spanish hospitals from the Valencian Community. The inclusion criteria were nurses with active employment status (temporary, interim, or permanent positions) at the selected centres who had previously given their informed consent to participate. The age of the participants ranged from 22 to 64 years (M=44.13; SD=11.58), 75.6%were women (401), 53.8%(285) had a permanent position, 28.4%(151) were substitutes, and 17.8%(94) had a temporary contract. The statistical analysis was conducted using SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences, Version 22) as well as EQS (Structural Equation Modeling Software, Version 6.2) and FACTOR. Results: The results indicate that psychometric properties of the TMMS-24 are adequate and its use appears to be justified. Finally, percentiles for interpreting emotional intelligence levels in Spanish nurses are presented. Conclusion: In conclusion, the instrument has several potential applications for nurse managers widely concerned about health work environment and nursing. First, the study supports the use of TMMS-24 in the Spanish nursing context. Second, the study also supports the use of TMMS-24 for assessing EI in nurses. Third, the assessment of current nursing practice from a perspective of self-report may lead to determine the training needs and to evaluate the effectiveness of training and interventions to improve EI. Fourth, the existence of the instrument and the percentiles facilitates the interpretation of scores and allows quick comparison with other samples of nurses.