Association of Emotional Intelligence With Pharmacy Students' Leadership and Academic Performance

Objective: This study aimed to examine the association between emotional intelligence, leadership involvement, and academic performance among student pharmacists.

Methods: This was a retrospective, observational study that included all second-year student pharmacists in the 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 academic years. Emotional intelligence was assessed using the emotional quotient (EQ) inventory, version 2.0 (EQ-i 2.0), with results reported for 15 skills of EQ. Leadership involvement was collected from student organizations as the number of officer positions held by each student throughout the Doctor of Pharmacy curriculum. Academic performance was reported as the cumulative grade point average (GPA). The primary end point was the mean EQ-i 2.0 skill results compared between students with < 2 and ≥ 2 leadership positions. The secondary end point was mean EQ-i 2.0 skill results of students with GPA < 3.5 and GPA ≥ 3.5. Bivariate logistic regression was used to analyze each outcome.

Results: All 214 s-year students in both cohorts completed the assessment. Students who held ≥ 2 leadership positions, on average, had a higher social responsibility score than students with < 2 positions. Students with GPA ≥ 3.5 had an assertiveness score lower than students with GPA< 3.5.

Conclusion: The results indicated that students with higher social responsibility as an EQ skill were reported to have increased leadership involvement. Students with lower assertiveness as an EQ skill were reported to have GPA ≥ 3.5. These findings demonstrate the importance of emphasizing social responsibility in the pharmacy curriculum.