[Relationships among emotional intelligence, ego-resilience, coping efficacy, and academic stress in medical students].
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to identify the causal relationship between emotional intelligence, ego-resilience, coping efficacy, and academic stress.


METHODS
Participants were 424 medical students from four medical schools in Korea. We examined their emotional intelligence, ego-resilience, coping efficacy, and academic stress using a t-test, an analysis of variance, correlational analysis, and path analysis.


RESULTS
First- and second-year students scored higher on academic stress than did those from third- and fourth-year students. Further, coping efficacy mediated the relationships between emotional intelligence, ego-resilience, and academic stress. Academic stress was directly influenced by coping efficacy, and indirectly by emotional intelligence and ego-resilience. This showed that coping efficacy play an important role in academic stress.


CONCLUSIONS
Our findings may help medical schools design educational programs to improve coping efficacy in students, and to reduce their academic stress.
Department of Medical Education, Chonbuk National University Medical School, Jeonju, Korea.
Hyo Hyun
HH
Yoo
Department of Medical Education, Gachon University College of Medicine, Incheon, Korea.
Kwi Hwa
KH
Park
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D004501:Education, Medical; D056348:Emotional Intelligence; D006801:Humans; D056910:Republic of Korea; D012577:Schools, Medical; D013315:Stress, Psychological; D013337:Students, Medical / Q000523:psychology*
Academic stress; Coping efficacy; Ego-resilience; Emotional intelligence