Emotional Intelligence and Job Satisfaction Among Mental Health Professionals

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between emotional intelligence and job satisfaction among a population of mental health professionals.

Research has indicated that external factors account for a part of the variance of job satisfaction among mental health professionals, but emotional factors, such as emotional intelligence, have not been thoroughly explored.

Due to the high turnover and burnout rates in this field, factors relating to job satisfaction are important to identify.

Mental health professionals with at least a Bachelor's degree, and who work at least fifty-one percent of the time in a counseling role, participated in this study.

Results suggest that there are no differences in emotional intelligence based upon gender.

Further, male job satisfaction appears to be influenced by the ability to be aware of emotions and manage own emotions, while female job satisfaction appears to be influenced solely by the ability to be aware of emotions.

Internal factors do appear to play a role in job satisfaction among this population.