Relationship between Emotional Intelligence and Mental Health in Prisoners

Aims: Mental health is one of the important components of public health, creating a balance in life and resistance to problems. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between emotional intelligence and mental health in prisoners.
This descriptive-correlation study was conducted on 614 prisoners in Adelabad prison in Shiraz, Iran. Samples were selected through systematic random sampling. Bradbury Gray's Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire and Psychometric Disorders Symptom Scale Checklist were used to collect data. The relationship between different dimensions of emotional intelligence and psychological disorder were analyzed using Pearson correlation coefficient and simultaneous regression analysis using SPSS 23 software.
Findings: The mean of psychological disorders and emotional intelligence was 60.31±17.42 and 97.22±14.46 respectively. General emotional intelligence had a negative and significant relationship with the symptoms of psychological disorders (r=0.23; p Emotional intelligence in prison, as in normal situations, can be a good tool for coping with stress and forcing one's mental health. In special prison conditions, the relationship management dimension plays an important role in emotional intelligence.