Emotional Intelligence and Social Adjustment among Essential Hypertension Patients: Cross-sectional Mixed Methods
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Objective: Emotional intelligence (EI) has been increasingly acknowledged as a significant psychological resource contributing to emotional regulation, coping mechanisms, as well as social adjustment (SA) and social interactions, when someone is living with a chronic illness. This study aimed to examine the levels of EI and SA among patients with essential hypertension (EH).
Methods and Materials: A mixed-methods approach was used; quantitative data were collected using the EI and SA scales, while qualitative data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 18 participants, which were thematically analyzed and integrated with quantitative findings to enhance interpretation of the results. A sample of 184 participants (107 males and 77 females) was purposively selected from Ghour Alsfi Hospital in southern Jordan.
Findings: The study found a moderate level of EI and SA among EH patients. Also, no relationship was found among the EH patients between EI across all domains and SA. At the same time, gender, illness duration, and qualification variables did not predict SA level statistically significantly; EI did not add explanatory power beyond these variables. The results from the interviews with 18 participants were largely consistent with quantitative results.
Conclusion: These findings suggest that patterns of adaptive stabilization in the psychosocial functioning of EH patients are determined mainly by the process of adaptive stabilization, rather than by their personal characteristics or demographic features.
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