Nursing students' emotional intelligence, coping styles and learning satisfaction in clinically simulated palliative care scenarios: An observational study.

BACKGROUND: Emotional intelligence is highly relevant in palliative care training, considering the coping styles used by nursing students. Clinical simulation provides the opportunity to evaluate these variables in a realistic and natural context.

OBJECTIVES: To analyze the possible relation between emotional intelligence, coping styles and satisfaction with one's own self-learning in nursing students participating in simulated scenarios related to palliative care at the end of life.

METHODS: A descriptive, observational and correlational study of students in their second year of nursing at a Spanish University during the 2015/2016 academic year. Three variables were measured: emotional intelligence (Trait Meta-Mood Scale-24), coping styles (the Questionnaire for Dealing with Stress) and satisfaction with students' own learning (Student Satisfaction and Self-Confidence in Learning Scale, Spanish version CSLS-Sv).

RESULTS: In total, 74 students participated in this study (ME: 20.3years). An association was found between satisfaction with learning, according to the EI attention subscale (in which the highest scores were registered) and two specific coping styles (FSP, with high scores and open emotional expression).

CONCLUSIONS: Emotional intelligence and coping styles are desirable qualities in students, especially as they have a relevant role in satisfaction with one's own learning. Nonetheless, in part, these results depend on the characteristics of the educational activities designed, which is especially relevant in simulation applied to palliative care.