Paramedical Sciences and Military Health

Introduction: Emotional intelligence is the ability for an individual to perform effectively in a team, adapt to sensitive situations, manage stress, understand oneself and others, and regulate emotions. Stress management training can facilitate the improvement of specific skills that lie within the field of emotional intelligence and it increases emotional intelligence. The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of stress management training on the development of emotional intelligence among paramedical students in 2024.
Materials and Methods: This is a quasi experimental study with pre-test and post-test design including experimental and control groups conducted in Zanjan, which is the capital of Zanjan province, in 2024. 20 students were randomly selected from 711 paramedical students studying in Zanjan city and they organized into two groups of 10 participants (experimental group and control group). The experimental group received 12 sessions of stress management training; while, the control group did not receive any intervention until the end of the study. The Bar-On Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire (BAR-ON-EQ) was used in this study. Data were analyzed using SPSS software version 22 through descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation) and analysis of covariance (ANCOVA).
Results: The results showed that students’ emotional intelligence in the experimental group had significantly increased at the end of the training period; while, there was not such finding in the control group. 
Conclusion:  Stress management training can increase emotional intelligence in paramedic students. This is a very significant issue considering the importance of promoting emotional intelligence in healthcare and medical personnel and its many applications in these professions.