Mediating Effect of Communication Skills on the Relationship Between Emotional Intelligence and Clinical Leadership of Health Sciences Students: A Descriptive and Correlational Study

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to describe the structural re- lationships between emotional intelligence, communication skills, and clinical leadership and to present a model. Material and Methods: The present study is a descriptive and correlational research. The sample of the study consisted of 453 health sciences students determined by using the convenience sample method. Rotterdam Emotional Intelligence Scale, Communication Skills Scale, and Clinical Leadership Scale were used to measure the latent variables of the study. The data of the study were col- lected between June-July 2021. The data were analyzed using IBM SPSS 24 and Amos 21 programs. The study protocol was approved by the ethics committee of a public university to conduct the study. Results: The rela- tionships between the latent variables of the study were in the expected di- rection and statistically significant (p<0.001) and the proposed final conceptual model fit the data. It was found that emotional intelligence had a direct positive effect on communication skills, while communication skills had a direct positive effect on clinical leadership. While emotional intelligence did not have a direct effect on clinical leadership, it was found to have a positive effect through communication skills. In the final model, while emotional intelligence explained 76% of communication skills, emotional intelligence and communication skills explained 50% of clini- cal leadership. Conclusion: This research shows that health sciences stu- dents with high levels of emotional intelligence can demonstrate clinical leadership characteristics by communicating more effectively. The results emphasize that these skills should be considered to develop clinical lead- ership in healthcare workplaces.