Emotional intelligence and stress coping mechanisms among dental students in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Background: Dental education and practice have been considered as one of the most challenging and stressful fields. The type of stressors and stress perception methods in the dental academic environment varies depending on multiple factors. Methods: The level of emotional intelligence to stress coping strategies among clinical-year dental students in Riyadh was evaluated using a cross-sectional questionnaire with four sections, i.e., the demographic data, Emotional intelligence scale (BEIS-10), Perceived stress scale (PSS-10), and Brief COPE scale. Results: The analysis of the 291 responses showed that students who were not able to regulate their own emotions were more likely to have a higher level of perceived stress. Students who were better at regulating others' emotions rely on planning for stress coping. Finally, students who could utilize their own emotions use positive reframing, planning, and religion as their mechanism of coping. Conclusions: There were significant differences in the perceived stress levels between males and females despite minor differences in emotional intelligence levels. There is a significant correlation between stress coping strategies with stress level and emotional intelligence.