Exploring the Relationship Between Emotional Intelligence and Health-Related Quality of Life in Patients with Cancer

Abstract

This study examined the association between emotional intelligence (EI), personality, and its relation to health-related quality of life in 62 patients with cancer. Specially, the predictive and incremental validity of EI for predicting health-related quality of life beyond the level attributable to personality was examined. Emotional intelligence showed unique and significant variance in prediction of different health-related quality of life dimensions. These findings provide preliminary evidences that EI abilities are useful additions in the field of psycho-oncology. The potential value of including EI programs to complement current psychoeducational approaches aimed at preserving or improving cancer patient health-related quality of life is discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• cancer
• emotional intelligence
• personality traits
• health-related quality of life
• oncology

Acknowledgments

The authors wish to express their thanks to Dr. James R. Zabora and anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments on an earlier version of this article.