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Archives of Psychiatric Nursing 31 (2017) 13–23 

Relation Between Emotional Intelligence, Socio-Demographic and Clinical 

Characteristics of Patients with Depressive Disorders 
Sayeda Ahmed Abdellatif a, El-Sayed Saleh Hussien b, Warda Elshahat Hamed c,⁎, Mohamed Ali 
Zoromba c 
a Cairo University, Faculty of Nursing b Mansoura University, Faculty of Medicine c Mansoura University, Faculty of Nursing 
a b s t r a c t 
The  present  study  aims  to  assess  the  emotional  intelligence  in  relation  to  socio-demographic  and  clinical  charac-  teristics  of 
patients  with  depressive  disorders.  A  descriptive  correlational  study  was  utilized  with  a  sample of (106) depressed patients who 
were  diagnosed  by  a  psychiatrist  with  depressive  disorders  at  psychiatric  outpa-  tient  clinics  in  Mansoura  University  Hospital. 
Data  were  collected  through  assessing  socio  demographic  and  clin- ical characteristics, assessing level of depression using Beck 
Depression  Inventory BDI-II, and assessing emotional intelligence using Barchard emotional intelligence scales. Results revealed 
that  emotional  intelligence  not  related  significantly  to  socio  demographic  and  clinical  characteristics of patients with depressive 
disorders,  there  is  a  highly  significant  relationship  between  emotional  intelligence  in  relation  to  level  of  depression  and  other 
prac-  tices  used  to  alleviate  depression.  Therefore,  it  is  recommended  to  conduct  a  periodical  workshops and training programs 
for  adolescents  and  young  in  the  universities,  schools,  social  clubs,  camps  and  youth  organizations  to  enhance  their  emotional 
intelligence  in  order  to prevent depression. In addition, assessing the effect of emotional intelligence programs on preventing and 
managing depression. 
© 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. 
Intelligent  use  of  emotions  is  considered  essential  for  one's  physical  health  and  psychological  adaptation.  Researchers  have 
projected  emo-  tional  intelligence  as  a  potential  risk  factor  or  protective factor in mental and physical health, especially in cases 
of  depression  (Downey  et  al.,  2008).  The  inverse  relationship  between  different  measures  of  emotion-  al  intelligence  and 
depression has been supported by researchers work- ing in the field of emotional intelligence (Tsaousis & Nikolaou, 2005). 
Emotional  intelligence  is  broadly  defined  as a set of abilities con- cerned with the regulation, management, control and use of 
emotions  in  decision-making,  particularly  in  relation  to  the  promotion  of  healthy  and  adaptive  mental  functioning.  As  such, 
emotional  intelligence  offers  a  window  into  mental  health,  as  the  ability  of  individuals to understand their own emotional states 
or emotional problems is considered an im- portant indicator of healthy mental functioning (Downey et al., 2008). 
Emotional  intelligence  was  considered  as  a  set  of  skills  for  processing  emotional  information  and  using  this  information  to 
guide one's think- ing and actions. Since then, various theoretical approaches have attempted to explain emotional intelligence. 
Emotional  intelligence  has  five  elements;  they  are  self-awareness,  self-regulation,  motivation,  empathy  and  social 
competences. Self- awareness is the ability to recognize and understand one's emotions, 
⁎ Corresponding Author: Dr Warda Elshahat Hamed, PhD, Mansoura University, Faculty of Nursing. 
E-mail address: hamed.warda@yahoo.com (W.E. Hamed). 
moods,  and  drives  as  well  as  how  these  impact  on  others.  Self-  regulation  is  the  ability  to  control  any  disruptive  emotions  or 
responses.  Motivation  refers  to  a  drive  to  work  toward  a  common  goal.  Empathy  involves  the  ability  to  understand  and  accept 
other's  emotions,  moods,  and  drives.  Social  skills  refer  to  the  ability  to  manage  relationships  and  networks  with others through 
finding common ground (Cox, Hill, & Lack, 2012). 
Teaching individuals how to perceive their emotions to facilitate thought, to understand their emotions, to give meaning to their 
emo- tional experiences, and to regulate their emotions it may be possible for them to manage their emotions more positively, 
preventing depres- sion to enter their lives (Brackett, Rivers, & Salovey, 2011; Mayer, Roberts, & Barsade, 2008; Resurreccion, 
Salguero, & Ruiz-Aranda, 2014). The existence of reliable predictors of who is most likely to suffer from depression would 
represent a valuable step toward the develop- ment of prophylactic strategies for protecting individuals prior to dis- ease onset as 
 well as providing a curative method for depressed patients to alleviate their depression. The emerging construct of emo- tional 
intelligence may constitute such a predictor (Ciarrochi, Dean, & Anderson, 2002). 
Depression;  the  most  common  of  the  affective  disorders  is  charac-  terized  by  persistent  sad  mood,  anxiety,  anhedonia  and 
irritability.  De-  pressive  disorders  affect  a  person's  thoughts,  feelings,  physical,  and  social  relationships  with  the  whole  person 
being in effect. In spite of its enormous importance, depression often goes undetected or it is not 
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.apnu.2016.07.009 0883-9417/© 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. 
Contents lists available at ScienceDirect 

Archives of Psychiatric Nursing 

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/apnu 
 
Table 1 Reliability Test of Beck Depressive Inventory BDI-II. 
Item No of items Cronbach's alpha 
Depression 21 0.81 
Table 2 Reliability Test of Barchard Emotional Intelligence Scales. 
Item No of items Cronbach's alpha 
Emotional intelligence scales 68 0.67 
suitably  treated.  This  results  in  suffering  and  a  lower  quality  of  life  for  those  affected  as  well  as,  their  family  members  and all 
society (Downey et al., 2008). 
Depression  is  rated (by the World Health Organization) as the 4th largest cause of global disease burden in terms of its impact 
on  the  indi-  vidual,  family  and  society  in general, it is estimated to be the 2nd leading contributor to the global burden of disease 
by  the  year  2020  that  leads  to  less  productivity.  Depression  is  common,  affecting  about  340  million  people  worldwide. 
Depression  is  projected  to  become  the  leading  cause  of  disability.  Depression  occurs  in  persons  of  all  genders,  ages, and back- 
grounds (WHO, 2012). 
There  are  different  levels  of  depressive  disorders;  major  depressive  disorder,  or  major  depression,  is  characterized  by  a 
combination  of  symptoms  that  interfere  with  a  person's  ability  to  work,  sleep,  study,  eat,  and  enjoy  once-pleasurable activities. 
Major  depression  is  disabling  and  prevents  a  person  from  functioning  normally.  Dysthymic  disorder,  or  dysthymia,  is 
characterized  by  long-term  (2  years  or  longer)  symp-  toms  that  may  not  be  severe  enough  to  disable  a  person  but  can  prevent 
normal  functioning or feeling well. Minor depression is characterized by having symptoms for 2 weeks or longer that do not meet 
full criteria for major depression (National Institute of Health, NIH, 2012). 
Depression,  a  treatable  disorder, is often treated with pharmacolog- ical therapies that have shown to have inconsistent effects 
and  can  have  devastating  side  effects.  Non-pharmacological  approaches,  such  as  cog-  nitive  behavioral  therapy  (CBT)  and 
interpersonal  therapy  (IPT)  are  often  used  to  treat  depression.  Using  cognitive  behavioral  therapy  (CBT),  interpersonal  therapy 
(IPT) and new coping skills are taught to help in alleviating the symptoms of depression. As well as using 
Table 3 Distribution of the Studied Sample According to Age (n = 106). 
Item No % 
Age Less than 20 years 8 7.5 20–40 years 61 57.5 b40–60 years 35 33 More than 60 years 2 1.9 
Table 4 Distribution of the Studied Sample According to Educational Level (n = 106). 
Item No % 
Educational level Illiterate 12 11.3 Literate 6 5.7 Primary 10 9.4 Preparatory 14 13.2 Secondary 39 36.8 University 24 22.6 
Master 1 .9 
14 S.A. Abdellatif et al. / Archives of Psychiatric Nursing 31 (2017) 13–23 
Table 5 Distribution of the Studied Sample According to Number and Gender of Patient's Children (n = 106). 
Item No % 
Number of children None 40 37.7 1 kid 12 11.3 2 kids 13 12.3 3 kids 13 12.3 4–6 kids 22 20.8 More than 6 kids 6 5.7 
Gender of children None 40 37.7 All of them are males 16 15.1 All of them are females 11 10.4 Males and females 39 36.8 
Table 6 Distribution of the Studied Sample According to Residence, Patients' Housing Condition and Patients' Economic State (n 
= 106). 
Item No % 
Residence Urban 50 47.1 Rural 56 52.8 
Patient housing condition Dependant house 53 50.0 Apartment 53 50.0 
Patient economic state Suitable 85 80.2 Unsuitable 21 19.8 
electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) for patients not responding to pharma- cotherapy or psychotherapy is effective (Lloyd, 2011). 
AIM OF THE STUDY 
Recognizing  the  relationship  between  emotional  intelligence  and  socio-demographic  and  clinical  characteristics  of  patients 
with depres- sive disorders. 
Table 7 Distribution of the Studied Sample According to Diagnosis (n = 106). 
Item No % 
Patient diagnosis Major depressive disorder 34 32.1 Dysthymic disorders 14 13.2 Unspecified depressive disorder 58 54.7 
Table 8 Distribution of the Different Practices Used by the Patients (n = 106). 
Item No % 
Other practices No other practices 62 58.5 Herbs 2 1.9 Charm (paracentesis) 41 38.7 ZAR 1 .9 
 
SUBJECTS AND METHODS 
Study Design 
A  descriptive  cross  sectional  research  design  was  used  to  assess  the  relationship between emotional intelligence and level of 
depression among patients with depressive disorders. 
Setting 
The  study  was  carried  out  in  the  out-patient  clinic  of  Psychiatric  De-  partment  of  Mansoura  University  Hospital.  From 
beginning of Decem- ber 2013 to the end of March 2014. 
Study Subjects 
A  convenient  sample  of  (106) patients attending the outpatient clinics for four months who were diagnosed by psychiatrists at 
the out- patient clinics as being affected with depressive disorders were recruit- ed to participate in the study. 
Fig.  1.  Distribution  of  the  studied  sample  according  to  sex  (n  =  106).  Data  according  to  Table  3  and  Fig.  1  reveal  that  studied 
sample  consisted  of  106  depressive  patients,  (7.5%)  aged  less  than  twenty  years,  (57.7%)  aged  from  twenty  to  forty  years, and 
(33%)  aged  from  forty  one  to  sixty.  Regarding  the  sex  females  represent  (58.5%)  patients,  where  males  represent  (41.5%) 
patients of the sample. 
15 S.A. Abdellatif et al. / Archives of Psychiatric Nursing 31 (2017) 13–23 
Fig. 2. Distribution of the studied sample according to work (n = 106). Data according to Table 4 and Fig. 2 reveal that studied 
sample consisted of 106 depressive patients, (36.8%) obtained secondary education, where (22.6%) graduated from university. 
As the figure presents that (43%) working in contrast (12%) without work, while about (30%) are housewives. 
Inclusion criteria. 1- Diagnosis: all available patients attending to the outpatient clinics with depressive disorders, ac- cording to 
DSM IV TR criteria, the diagnosis was carried out by two junior psychiatrists and senior psychiatrist, who were working at the 
outpatient clinics of Mansoura University Hospital. 2- Gender: both sexes were included. 3- Age: all age groups attend to the 
clinic. 
Exclusion criteria. 1- Patients with depression related to substance 
abuse. 2- Patients with depression related to organic disease. 
Tools of Data Collection 
In  order  to  collect  the  necessary information for this study, three tools have been used. 1-Socio demographic and clinical data 
structured  interview  sheet  Appendix  I:  is  constructed  by  the  investigator  to  assess  the  demographic data of the participants, this 
sheet  includes:  age,  gen-  der,  address,  marital  status,  level  of  education, number of children, sex of children, occupation, way of 
attending the clinic, number of admis- sions to psychiatric hospital, diagnosis, duration of illness, duration and type of treatment. 
1-Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II) 
The  BDI-II  was  developed  in  1996,  the  BDI-II  contains  21  items,  each  answer  being  scored  on  a  scale  value of 0 to 3. This 
scale  was  designed  to  measure  the  level  of  depressive  symptoms  among  depressive  patients.  The  reliability  and  validity  of  the 
BDI-II  and  its  Arabic  translation  were  carried  out  by  Ghareeb  (2000).  Also  the  investigator tests the reliability of the tool using 
Cronbach's alpha test (see table 1). 
The  female  scoring  system  of  the  tool  according  to  Ghareeb  (2000): minimal depression from 0:26, mild depression from 27 
to  39,  moderate  depression  from  40  to  52  and  severe  depression from 53 to 63. While male scoring system of the tool according 
to  Ghareeb  (2000):  minimal  depression  from  0  to  23,  mild  depression  from  24  to  36,  moderate  de-  pression  from  37  to 49 and 
severe depression from 50 to 63. 
Emotional  intelligence  scales  (Barchard,  2001):  these  scales  was originally developed by (Barchard, 2001) to assess the level 
of  emotion-  al  intelligence,  it  consists  of  68  items,  5  point  Likert  scale.  The  scales  was  translated to Arabic and back translated 
English  by  language  experts.  Face  validity  and  content  validity  were  done  with  assistance  of  special-  ists  consisted  of  five 
professors (two medical psychiatrists, three 
 
professors  specialized  in  nursing  psychiatry).  This  instrument  was  also  reviewed  by  an  expert  in  medical  statistics.  Reliability 
done using Cronbach's alpha test (see table 2). 
The emotional intelligence scales is classified into seven sub scales assess the different character of the personality component 
which  they  are  positive  expressivity;  9  items,  negative  expressivity;  10  items,  attending  to  emotion;  10  items,  emotion  and 
decision  making;  9  items,  responsive  joy;  10  items,  responsive  distress;  10  items  and  empa-  thetic  concern;  10  items.  The 
questionnaire consists of 37 items positive keyed items and 31 negative keyed items. 
The scoring of questionnaire according to (Barchard, 2001): 
Fig. 3. Distribution of the studied sample according to marital status (n = 106). Data according to Fig. 3 and Table 5, (33%) of 
studied sample are single and about (57%) are married. Also about (37.7%) of patients without children, while patients who have 
male and female children about (36.8%). 
16 S.A. Abdellatif et al. / Archives of Psychiatric Nursing 31 (2017) 13–23 
Fig. 4. Distribution of the studied sample according to patient residence (n = 106). 
For positive keyed items: Completely accurate = 5, moderately accurate = 4, neither accurate nor inaccurate = 3, moderately 
inaccurate = 2, completely inaccurate = 1. 
Where scoring for negative keyed items: Completely accurate = 1, moderately accurate = 2, neither accurate nor inaccurate = 3, 
moderately inaccurate = 4, completely inaccurate = 5. 
Ethical consideration: Ethical consideration was obtained from the research ethics com- mittee of the Faculty of Nursing – 
Mansoura University. 
Fig. 5. Distribution of the studied sample according to patient housing condition (n = 106). 
 
•  Approval  of  the  patient  was  obtained  after  explanation  of the purpose of the study and assured that data collection will be used 
only for the purpose of the study. 
• Patients and their relative included in the study were assured about confidentiality of the information gathered. 
• Informing patients and their relatives included in the study about their rights to refuse or to withdraw at any time without 
penalty. 
• Each participant who refused to continue their questionnaire was ex- cluded from the sample size. 
• Tools of data collection were coded to avoid declaration of any person- al information of sample information. 
• Participants participate voluntarily. 
Fig. 7. Distribution of the studied sample according to number of previous hospitalization. 
Fig. 6. Distribution of the studied sample reveals the history of beginning illness. 
17 S.A. Abdellatif et al. / Archives of Psychiatric Nursing 31 (2017) 13–23 
Statistical analysis: 
•  Data  were  analyzed  with  SPSS  version  16.  The  normality  of  data  was first tested with one-sample Kolmogorov–Smirnov test. 
Qualitative  data  were  described  using  number  and  percent.  Continuous  variables  were  presented  as  mean  ±  SD  (standard 
deviation) for parametric data. The two groups were compared with Student t test (parametric 
Fig. 8. Distribution of the studied sample according to way of attending clinic. 
 
Fig. 9. Distribution of the studied sample reveals type of previous treatment (n = 106). 
data).  Analysis  Of  Variance  (ANOVA  test)  used  for  comparison  of  means  of  more  than  two  groups  (parametric  data)  Pearson 
correlation used for correlation between continuous parametric data. The signifi- cance is fixed at 5% level (p-value). 
LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY 
Patient's data in the clinic was not recorded electronically. Some patients refused to participate in the study, they were excluded. 
RESULTS 
Part I: Socio-demographic and clinical characteristics of the studied 
sample. Tables from 3 to 8 and Figs. from 1 to 9. Part II: Frequency distribution of depression and emotional intelli- 
gence. Tables from 9 to 10 and Figs. from 10 to 11. Part III: Relationships among emotional intelligence, socio- 
demographic, and clinical characteristics of the studied sam- ple. Tables from 11 to 29. 
Part І: Socio-Demographic and Clinical Characteristics of the Studied Sample 
This  part  represents  the  characteristics  of  the  studied  sample  in  rela-  tion  to  age,  sex,  level of education, occupation, marital 
status, number of children, gender of children, religion, housing condition, place of 
Table 9 Distribution of the Studied Sample According to Level of Depression (n = 106). 
Item No % 
Minimal 28 26.4 Mild 70 66.0 Moderate 7 6.6 Severe 1 0.9 
Table 10 Distribution of the Studied Sample According to Emotional Intelligence Score (n = 106). 
EI score No % 
Minimal EI score 68–135 0 0 Mild EI score 136–203 
26 24.5 
Moderate EI score 204–271 80 75.5 High EI score 272–340 
0 0 
18 S.A. Abdellatif et al. / Archives of Psychiatric Nursing 31 (2017) 13–23 
residence, economic state. Added to that past and present history of the studied sample. 
According  to  Figs.  4  &  5  and  Table  6,  (52.2%)  of  patients  live  in  rural,  while  (47.1%)  of  patients  live  in  urban.  Housing 
condition of the half of the study sample lives in dependant house and the other half lives in apartments. Majority of study sample 
with suitable economic state. 
According  to  Table  7  as  it  reveals  the  distribution  of  the  diagnosis  of  the  study  sample,  that  reveals  that  the  unspecified 
depressive  disorder  is  more  than half of the study sample by (54.7%), where major depres- sive disorder occupies the second one 
by (32.1%). 
Fig.  6  reveals  that  illness  duration  from  one  year  to  less  than three years present within (28.3%) of the studied sample, while 
illness  dura-  tion  from  three  to  five  years  or  from  five  to  ten  years  presented  within  (17%)  of  the  study  sample.  Patients  with 
illness duration more than twenty years present (7.5%) of sample. 
Fig.  7  reveals  that  (50%)  of  studied  sample  not  hospitalized  in hospi- tal before, while (22/6%) admitted for one time, (17%) 
admitted  for  two  times  and  (10.4%)  admitted  three  times  or  more.  On  the  other  hand  Fig.  8  reveals  that  majority  of  studied 
sample (86.8%) attends to the clin- ic voluntary while (13.2%) of studied sample attend to the clinic with nonvoluntary way. 
Fig.  9  reveals  type  of  previous  treatment,  according  to  the  figure;  majority  of  studied  sample  (79.2%)  use pharmacotherapy 
only  while  (11.3%)  use  pharmacotherapy  and  ECT  for  treatment.  Less  than  this  (3.8%)  used  pharmacotherapy  and 
psychotherapy. 
According  to  previous  Table  8  and  Fig.  9,  about  (58.5%)  did  not  prac-  tice  any  other  practices  to  relive  his  disease,  where 
about (40%) of study sample used charm, other practices used in low level. 
 
Part ІI: Frequency Distribution of Depression And Emotional Intelligence 
This part represents the characteristics of the studied sample in rela- tion to the level of depression and scores of emotional 
intelligence. 
According  to  Table 9 and Fig. 10 that reveal the level of depression among the studied sample, as they present that (26.4%) of 
studied  sam-  ple  have  minimal  depression,  (66%)  of  patients  have  a  mild  depression,  (6.6%)  have  moderate  depression  where 
only (0.9%) have severe depression. 
According  to  Table  10  and  Fig.  11  that  reveal  total  score  of  emotional  intelligence  of  studied  sample,  as  they  present  that 
(24.5%)  of  studied  sample  have  score  from 136 to 203, (75.5%) of patient have score, from 204 to 271 where, no patients scored 
less than 136 or higher than 271. 
Part IIІ: Relationships Among Emotional Intelligence, Socio-Demographic, and Clinical Characteristics of the Studied Sample 
According  to  Table  11  there  is  no  statistically  significant  relation  be-  tween  emotional  intelligence score and age in years of 
depressive pa- tients among studied sample. Although patients more than 60 years have higher score of emotional intelligence. 
Fig. 11. Distribution of the studied sample according to emotional intelligence score (n = 106). 
Fig. 10. Distribution of the studied sample present level of depression (n = 106). 
19 S.A. Abdellatif et al. / Archives of Psychiatric Nursing 31 (2017) 13–23 
Fig. 12. Correlation between level of depression and emotional intelligence scores. 
According  to Table 12 there is no statistically significant relation between sex and emotional intelligence score among studied 
sample. Females slightly have higher score of emotional intelligence. 
According to Table 13 there is no statistical significant relation between residence and emotional intelligence scores. 
According  to  Table  14  there  is  no  statistically  significant  relation  be-  tween  occupation  and  emotional  intelligence  scores 
among studied sample. Students have lower score of emotional intelligences. 
According  to  Table  15,  there  is no statistical significant relation be- tween educational level and emotional intelligence score. 
Patients with high educational level are the lower in emotional intelligence. 
According  to  Table  16  there  is  no  statistical  significant  relation  be-  tween  marital  status  and  emotional  intelligence  score 
among studied sample. 
Table  17  reveals  the  relationship  between  emotional  intelligence  score  and  number  and  gender of children. According to the 
table,  there  is  no  statistically  significant  relations  between  number  and  gen-  der  of  children  and  emotional  intelligence  scores. 
Patients have more than 6 of sons or have male and female sons are the higher in emotional intelligence scales. 
According  to  Table  18  there  is  no  statistical  significant  relation  between  religion  and  emotional  intelligence  scores  among 
studied sample. 
According  to  Table  19  there  is  no  statistically  significant  relation  be-  tween  housing  condition  and  emotional  intelligence 
scores among studied sample. 
According  to  Table  20  there  is  no  statistically significant relation be- tween economic state and emotional intelligence scores 
among studied sample. 
According  to  Table  21 there is no statistically significant relation be- tween diagnosis and emotional intelligence score among 
studied sample. Patients with dysthymia, have higher scores of emotional intel- ligence than other patients. 
Table 11 Relation Between Age Group and Emotional Intelligence Score (n = 106). 
Item No % Mean ± SD Min-Max Test of sig P 
Age Less than 20 years 8 7.5% 208.38 ± 11.4 197–230 20–40 years b40–60 years 61 57.5% 35 33% 209.87 ± 13.27 138–231 
206.86 ± 13.02 175–230 
F = 1.076 .363 
More than 60 years 2 1.9% 222 ± 8.48 216–228 
N 
OTE 
. F: for ANOVA test. 
 
Table 12 Relation Between Sex and Emotional Intelligence Score (n = 106). 
Item No % Mean ± SD Min-Max Test of sig P 
Sex Males 44 41.5 207.45 ± 16.08 138–230 Females 62 58.5 210.08 ± 10.38 190–231 
t = 1.022 .309 
N 
OTE 
. t: for independent t test. 
Table 13 Relation Between Residence and Emotional Intelligence Score (n = 106). 
Item No % Mean ± SD Min-Max Test of sig P 
Residence Urban Rural 50 47.1 207.18 ± 15.34 138–230 56 52.8 210.61 ± 10.46 190–231 
t = 1.35 .178 
N 
OTE 
. t: for independent t test. 
According  to  Table  22  there  is  no  statistically  significant  relation  be- tween illness duration and emotional intelligence score 
among studied sample. Patients with depression for less than one year were lower pa- tients in emotional intelligence scores. 
According  to  Table  23,  there  is  no  statistically  significant  relation  be-  tween  way  of  attending  the  clinic  and  emotional 
intelligence scores among studied sample. 
According to Table 24, there is no statistically significant relation be- tween number of previous hospitalization and emotional 
intelligence scores among studied sample. 
According  to  Table  25,  there  is  no  statistical  significant  relation  be-  tween  previous  treatment  and  emotional  intelligence 
scores among studied sample. 
According  to  Table  26,  there  is  a  statistical  significant  positive  rela-  tion  between  other  practices and emotional intelligence 
score  among  studied  sample,  where  F  =  15.92  at  P  ≤  .001. Patient who use “ZAR” is lower in scoring of emotional intelligence, 
on the other hand patients who were not used to practice other practices, have higher in emotional intelligence scores. 
Table 14 Relation Between Occupation and Emotional Intelligence Score (n = 106). 
Item No % Mean ± SD Min-Max Test of sig P 
Occupation No work 13 12.3 200.46 ± 10.39 178–220 F = 1.412 .217 Handicraft 17 16.0 211.12 ± 13.79 190–230 Student 15 
14.2 206.67 ± 21.19 138–231 Writing work 4 3.8 215.5 ± 3 212–218 Employee 17 16.0 210.18 ± 11.55 175–228 Teaching work 
8 7.5 211.62 ± 5.26 204–218 Housewife 32 30.2 210.31 ± 10.58 190–228 
N 
OTE 
. F: for ANOVA test. 
Table 15 Relation Between Educational Level and Emotional Intelligence Score (n = 106). 
Item No % Mean ± SD Min-Max Test of sig P 
Education level Illiterate 12 11.3 211.17 ± 12.32 190–228 Literate 6 5.7 206.5 ± 14.44 178–218 Primary 10 9.4 215.6 ± 8.94 
201–228 Preparatory 14 13.2 209.64 ± 11.65 192–230 
F = 1.509 .183 Secondary 39 36.8 210.15 ± 11.39 175–231 University 24 22.6 
203.12 ± 16.46 138–222 Master 1 .9 218 218–218 
N 
OTE 
. F: for ANOVA test. 
20 S.A. Abdellatif et al. / Archives of Psychiatric Nursing 31 (2017) 13–23 
Table 16 Relation Between Marital Status and Emotional Intelligence Score (n = 106). 
Item No % Mean ± SD Min-Max Test of sig P 
Marital status Single 35 33.0 206.91 ± 15.35 138–231 F = 1.487 .212 Married 60 56.6 210.98 ± 11.36 175–230 Divorced 2 1.9 
215 ± 7.07 210–220 Widow 7 6.6 200.29 ± 13.59 178–213 Detached 2 1.9 210 ± 8.48 204–216 
N 
OTE 
. F: for ANOVA test. 
Table 17 Relations Between Number and Gender of Children and Emotional Intelligence Scores (n = 106). 
Item No % Mean ± SD Min-Max Test of sig P 
Number of children None 40 37.7 207.32 ± 14.68 138–231 F = .822 .537 1 kid 12 11.3 210.25 ± 7.35 194–218 2 kids 13 12.3 
209.23 ± 9.75 192–228 3 kids 13 12.3 210.62 ± 15.65 178–230 4–6 kids 22 20.8 207.73 ± 13.15 175–228 More than 6 kids 6 5.7 
218.17 ± 9.39 206–230 
Gender of children None 40 37.7 207.74 ± 14.44 138–231 F = 1.746 .162 All of them are male 16 15.1 204.8 ± 11.24 178–218 
All of them female 11 10.4 206.7 ± 7.72 192–214 Male and female 39 36.8 212.45 ± 12.7 175–230 
N 
OTE 
. F: for ANOVA test. 
Part IV: Correlation Analysis Among Various Studied Variables 
According  to  Table  27,  that  reveals,  mean,  standard  deviation,  mini-  mum  and  maximum  of  different  study  variable 
(depression  level,  emo-  tional  intelligence  score  and  sub  items  of  emotional  intelligence).  The  table  indicates  that  depression 
level  ranged  from  6  to  50  of  the  study  sample  with  mean  28.6,  where  emotional  intelligence  ranged from 138 to 231with mean 
209, obvious that the highest score with the em- pathetic concern of all the other sub items. 
Table  28  delineates  that  there  is  highly  statistically  significant  nega-  tive  correlation  among  studied  sample  between 
depression  level  and  positive  expressivity,  attending  emotion, responsive joy and empathetic concern, where r = −.5,−.504,−.515 
and  −.363  at  p  =  .001,  .001,  .001  and  .001  respectively,  this  correlation  is  weak  with  empathetic concern. There is a significant 
negative  correlation  between  depression  level  and  emotion  and  decision  making.  On  the  other  hand,  there  are  no  statisti-  cally 
significant  correlations  between  level  of  depression  related  to  neg-  ative  expressivity  and  responsive  distress.  However  that 
direction of 
Table 18 Relation Between Patients, Religion and Emotional Intelligence Scores (n = 106). 
Item No % Mean ± SD Min-Max Test of sig P 
Patient religion Muslim 98 92.5 209.08 ± 13.39 138–231 t = .085 .803 Christian 8 7.5 207.88 ± 8.11 193–217 
N 
OTE 
. t: for independent t test. 
Table 19 Relation Between Housing Condition and Emotional Intelligence Score (n = 106). 
Item No % Mean ± SD Min-Max Test of sig P 
Patient housing condition Dependant house 53 50.0 210.31 ± 11.12 178–230 t = 0.25 .259 Apartment 53 50.0 207.85 ± 14.74 
138–231 
N 
OTE 
. t: for independent t test. 
 
Table 20 Relation Between Economic State and Emotional Intelligence Scores (n = 106). 
Item No % Mean ± SD Min-Max Test of sig P 
Patient economic state Suitable 85 80.2 209.68 ± 10.84 175–231 t = 1.1 .274 Unsuitable 21 19.8 206.19 ± 19.74 138–228 
Table 21 Relation Between Diagnosis and Emotional Intelligence Scores (n = 106). 
Item No % Mean ± SD Min-Max 
Table 23 Relation Between Way of Attending the Clinic and Emotional Intelligence Scores (n = 106). 
Item No % Mean ± SD Min-Max Test of sig P 
Way of attending clinic Volunteer 92 86.8 209.21 ± 12.77 138–231 t = 0.435 .664 Nonvolunteer 14 13.2 207.57 ± 15.14 178–228 
N 
OTE 
. t: for independent t test. 
Test sig 
Table 24 Relation Between Number of Previous Hospitalization and Emotional Intelligence Scores (n = 106). 
Item No % Mean ± SD Min-Max Test of sig P 
Number of previous hospitalization None 53 50.0 210.45 ± 13.96 138–231 
F = 0.812 .490 of 
P 
Patient diagnosis Major depressive disorder 34 32.1 207.39 ± 
10.49 
192–228 F = 
1.271 
.288 
Dysthymic disorders 14 13.2 215.38 ± 7.1 204–230 Unspecified depressive 
disorder 
58 54.7 208.57 ± 
15.15 
138–231 
N 
OTE 
Only one time 24 22.6 208.96 ± 7.29 190–222 Two times 18 17.0 204.89 ± 14.68 175–230 . F: for ANOVA test. 
Three times or more 11 10.4 208.73 ± 15.54 178–230 
N 
OTE 
Table 22 Relation Between Illness Duration and Emotional Intelligence Scores (n = 106). 
Item No % Mean ± SD Min-Max Test of sig P 
Illness duration Less than 1 year 15 14.2 204.8 ± 20.81 138–226 F = .473 .796 One year to less than three years 30 28.3 210.4 ± 
9.57 187–231 Three years to less than five years 18 17.0 211 ± 9.79 190–226 Five years to less than ten years 18 17.0 208.67 ± 
16.16 175–230 Ten years to less than twenty years 17 16.0 209.06 ± 10.71 190–230 More than twenty years 8 7.5 207.62 ± 10.82 
192–228 
N 
OTE 
. F: for ANOVA test. 
relation between depression level and negative expressivity and re- sponsive distress was positive but does not rise to significant 
relation. 
According  to  Table  29,  and  Fig. 12 that delineates correlation be- tween level of depression and emotional intelligence scores 
there  is  highly  statistically  significant  negative  correlation  between  depression  score  and  emotional  intelligence score where r = 
−0.651 at p = 0.001 that reveals a mild reverse relationship. 
DISCUSSION 
As  regard  to  the  relation  between  emotional  intelligence  and  socio-  demographic  data,  the findings indicate that there are no 
significant  sta- tistical correlations between emotional intelligence and sex, age, level of education, occupation, residence, marital 
status,  number  and  gender  of  children,  religion,  housing  condition,  and  economic  state.  However,  re-  sults  reveal  that  females 
may  demonstrate  slightly  higher  emotional  in-  telligence  score  than  male,  also  higher  emotional  intelligence  score  with  older 
patients more than 60 years. 
The  results  agree  with  many  other  studies  that  proved  the  common  conception  of  women  being  better  not  only  in 
understanding  and  ex-  pressing  their  emotions  but  also  in  understanding  other's  emotions.  Lloyd  (2011)  and  Sulaiman  (2013) 
supported  these  results,  who  deter-  mined  that  there  was  no  significant  difference  on  the emotional intelli- gence score between 
males  and  females,  although  a  higher  emotional  intelligence  average  for  female  compared  to  males.  There  are  other  find-  ings 
strongly  support  that  females  are  higher  in  emotional  intelligence  than  males.  Batool  and  Khalid  (2009);  Salguero,  Extremera, 
and  Fernández-  Berrocal  (2012)  and  Davis  and  Humphrey  (2012)  found  a  significant  gen-  der  difference  between  males  and 
females emotional intelligence; males showed lower emotional intelligence as compared to females. 
In contrast, stated that males have a higher level of emotional intel- ligence than females, but it was not a statistically 
significant difference. 
. F: for ANOVA test. 
21 S.A. Abdellatif et al. / Archives of Psychiatric Nursing 31 (2017) 13–23 
Moreover,  Gupta  and  Kumar (2010) and Tannous and Matar (2010) in- dicate that males scored significantly higher than females 
with regard to emotional intelligence. 
These  findings  are  supported  by  an  extensive  literature  on  gender  differences  in  emotional  aspects,  as  women  are  more 
capable  of  decoding  nonverbal  emotional  information,  have greater emotional un- derstanding, more sensitive to the emotions of 
others,  more  expressive and show greater interpersonal competencies. In addition, it has tradi- tionally been accepted that women 
are  more  familiar  than  men  with  the  emotional  world  and  that  they  may  be  biologically  prepared  to  per-  ceive  emotions.  Men 
tend to systematize, while women tend to empathize. 
Regarding  emotional  intelligence  related  to  age,  current  study  re-  veals  that  higher  emotional  intelligence  score  with  older 
patients  more  than  60  years, but there isn't a significant relation between emo- tional intelligence and age. This result similarly to 
Bar-On  (1997)  who  indicated  that  emotional  intelligence  increases  with  age;  fifteen  was  the  minimum  age  for  emotional 
intelligence  scoring,  the  older  groups  scored  significantly  higher  than  the  younger  groups.  Lamanna  (2000),  found  a  positive 
significant  correlation  between  emotional  intelligence  and  age.  This  regarding  to  as  the  total  correlation  of  mean  age  to  mean 
total emotional intelligence is a significant, positive one. 
Goleman  (1995)  stated  that  no  specific  reference  to  the  age  and  emotional  intelligence  interaction.  That  was  different  from 
studies  done  by  Sulaiman  (2013),  who  found  a  high  levels  of  emotional  intelli-  gence  among  adolescence.  Moreover,  Inglese 
(2012)  found  a  significant  negative  correlation  between  age  and  total  emotional  intelligence,  indi-  cating  that  by  advancing  in 
age,  the  total  emotional  intelligence  dimin-  ishes. Increasing level of emotional intelligence with increased age related to that the 
emotional intelligence is the abilities and skills ac- quired by the experience. People aged more than 60 have increased 
 
Table 25 Relation Between Previous Treatment and Emotional Intelligence Scores (n = 106). 
Item No % Mean ± SD Min-Max Test of sig P 
Previous treatment No treatment 6 5.7 201.83 ± 14.11 178–217 F = 0.662 .577 Pharmacotherapy 84 79.2 209.94 ± 12.88 
138–231 Pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy 4 3.8 207.5 ± 13.4 190–218 Pharmacotherapy and ECT 12 11.3 209.58 ± 14.21 
175–230 
N 
OTE 
. F: for ANOVA test. 
coping skills and have the ability to manage their life better. Results also, reveal that this age is lower in level of depression. 
Regarding  to  relations  between  emotional  intelligence  and  clinical  characteristics  of studied sample, the current study results 
showed  that  there  are  no  statistically  significant  correlations  between  illness  du-  ration,  way  of  attending  the  clinic,  previous 
treatment  and  previous  hospitalization  to  emotional  intelligence  scores.  While,  there  are  statis-  tically  significant  correlations 
between  other  practices  and  emotional  intelligence.  Results  indicate  that  patients  who  used  “ZAR”  as  other  practices  used  to 
relive their depression, are lower patients obtained emotional intelligence score. 
Looking  for  other  practices  to  treat  depression  depend  on  back-  ground,  culture  and  education.  This  culture  and  education 
originated  from  surrounding  social  factors  which  considered  as  the  half  of  the  emo-  tional  intelligence.  Hence  there  is  a 
significant  relation  between  using  alternative  practices  to  alleviate  depression  and  emotional  intelligence.  Decreased  levels  of 
emotional  intelligence  affecting  individual's  prob- lem solving abilities, so when an individual face a problem he cannot have the 
ability to find a direct solution, he looks for anything limited to his awareness. 
Regarding  to  correlations  between  emotional  intelligence  and  de-  pression  level  of  studied  sample,  the  current  study  results 
showed  that  there  is  a  high  statistical  significant negative correlation between emotional intelligence score and depression score. 
Current  result  con-  gruent  with  Inglese  (2012)  and  Batool  &  Khalid  (2009), who found that total emotional intelligence showed 
inverse significant correlation with depression, results indicate that emotional intelligence significant- 
Table 26 Relation Between Other Practices and Emotional Intelligence Scores (n = 106). 
Item No % Mean ± SD Min-Max Test of sig P 
Other practices No other practices 62 58.5 211.35 ± 9.47 190–230 F = 
15.92 
ly  predicts  depression.  Nolidin,  Downey,  Hansen,  and Stoug (2013); Sulaiman (2013) and Hansenne and Bianchi (2009) support 
the  signif-  icant  negative  correlation  between  total  emotional intelligence score and depression score. Moreover, Jahangard et al. 
(2012)  found  that  de-  pressive symptoms decreased significantly with a group received train- ing involved emotional intelligence 
skill training greater than the other depressed group not receive the training. 
The  negative  correlation  between  emotional  intelligence  and  de-  pression  may  be  related  to  the  emotional  intelligence  skill 
which  is  the  skill  of  social  and  emotional  capacities  which  stem  from  knowledge  based  on  feelings  and  the  deterioration  of 
feelings  directly  affect  this  skill.  Depression  expresses  pessimism,  negative  emotions,  and  the  dis-  satisfaction  with  life. 
Therefore,  whenever  an  individual  emotional  in-  telligence  is high, he possesses a greater capacity in overcoming the feelings of 
depression. 
Recommendations: Based on the findings of the current study, the following recommen- dations are suggested: 
✓ Conduct a periodical workshops and training programs for adoles- cents and young in the universities, schools, social clubs, 
camps and youth organizations to enhance their emotional intelligence in order to prevent depression. ✓ A psychologists and 
counselors should be assigned to universities and school to assess and identify adolescents lower in emotional in- telligence for 
early detection and prevention of depression through a firm system as this age group are risky for depression. ✓ Implement 
further studies to assess the effect of emotional intelli- 
gence programs and courses on managing depression. ✓ Periodical survey for detecting population lower in emotional in- 
telligence for early detection of any individual risk for depression as the emotional intelligence consider a reliable predictor for 
depression. 
≤0.001* Herbs 2 1.9 210.5 ± 4.95 207–214 Charm 
(paracentasis) 
175–231 
ZAR 1 .9 138 138–138 
N 
OTE 
41 38.7 207.07 ± 
13.06 
Table 28 Correlation Between Level of Depression and Sub Scale of Emotional Intelligence (n = 
. F: for ANOVA test. 
106). 
Item R P 
Positive expressivity −0.5 ≤0.001 
⁎ negative expressivity 0.065 0.51 
Table 27 Mean, Standard Deviation, Minimum and Maximum of Different Study Variable (Depres- sion Level, Emotional 
Intelligence Score and Sub Items of Emotional Intelligence). 
Attending to emotion Emotion & decision making Responsive joy Responsive distress −0.504 −0.226 −0.515 0.082 ≤0.001 ⁎ 
0.02 
⁎ ≤0.001 
⁎ 0.406 Item Mean ± SD Min–Max 
Empathetic 
Depression level 28.57 ± 7.14 6–50 
concern 
−0.363 ≤0.001 
⁎ 
Emotional intelligence score 208.99 ± 13.04 138–231 
⁎ Significant at level of 5%. Positive expressivity 27.66 
± 5.09 19–40 Negative expressivity 29.59 ± 3.83 17–37 Attending to emotion 30.98 ± 3.41 19–35 
Table 29 Emotion & decision making 30.52 ± 4.73 
13–39 
Correlation Between Level of Depression and Emotional 
Intelligence Scores (n = 106). Responsive joy Responsive distress 29 ± 5.04 29.57 ± 3.45 20–40 20–36 
Item R P 
Empathetic concern 31.35 ± 3.25 17–37 
Emotional intelligence score −0.651 ≤0.001* 
22 S.A. Abdellatif et al. / Archives of Psychiatric Nursing 31 (2017) 13–23 
 
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