Nicotine Dependence and its Relationship with Emotional Intelligence and General Health among Male Smoker Staff in Urmia University of Medical Sciences, 2016

Abstract

Abstract: Introduction: Smoking is one of the most common preventable causes of death. Emotional intelligence is one of the factors that plays an important role in various aspects of life, such as confronting stressful situations and, consequently, smoking and health status of people. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between Nicotine Dependence, emotional intelligence and general health in smoker men, since the rate of choosing healthy lifestyle in men is lower than in women, and the health of men working in the field of health plays an important role in providing health services to people. Methods: The present study was a descriptive-correlational study, which is carried out using a purposive and Convenience sampling on 350 male smokers who were employed in University of Medical Sciences in Urmia. This study carried out using Siberian Shrink's Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire, General Health Questionnaire(GHQ-28), and Fagstrom's Nicotine Dependence Test. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics by SPSS-16 software. Results: The mean of Nicotine Dependence, emotional intelligence, and general health was 3.33 ± 2.31 (scores range: 0-10), 110.26 ± 16.24 (scores range: 33-165) and 23.60 ± 13.27 (scores range 0-84) respectively. The results showed a significant negative correlation between emotional intelligence scores and general health, emotional intelligence and Nicotine Dependence, and general health was positively correlated with Nicotine Dependence. Conclusion: People with high emotional intelligence have better health status and are less dependent on smoking, so emotional intelligence is a protective and expandable agent against threatening behaviors such as smoking.