Gender Differences in Emotional Intelligence Among Medical Students in Pakistan: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Emotional intelligence (EI) is a component of social intelligence involving the ability to perceive, understand, and regulate emotions. It plays an important role in the personal and professional development of medical students. Previous studies on gender differences in EI have shown inconsistent results. To examine gender differences in EI among medical students in Pakistan. A cross-sectional questionnaire-based study was conducted among 224 medical students using convenience sampling. Data were collected through a self-administered online questionnaire, and Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics version 27. Independent samples t-tests and chi-square tests were performed, with p < 0.05 considered statistically significant. Of the 224 participants, 139 (62.5%) were female and 85 (37.5%) were male. There was no significant difference in overall EI scores between males (26.26 ± 4.99) and females (26.43 ± 3.55; p = 0.764). However, females scored significantly higher in empathy (p = 0.001), while males scored higher in self-management (p = 0.007). No significant differences were observed in other domains. Although overall EI did not differ significantly between genders, differences were observed in specific domains. These findings highlight the need for targeted EI development strategies in medical education.