Evaluating Emotional Intelligence in Medical Students: A Comparative Analysis of Their Trait Emotional Intelligence (TEI) Scores Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Medical education, which generally relied heavily on intelligence quotients, has found a new value in emotional intelligence (EI), specifically after the challenges faced during the COVID-19 pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic has had some apparent and some intangible effects, as this required an emergency switch to online teaching and learning.  Aim: This study was conducted to compare the trait emotional intelligence (TEI) score of medical undergraduates with the increasing number of years of medical curriculum. The COVID-19 pandemic serendipitously provided an opportunity to compare the TEI scores in pre-pandemic and during pandemic times.  Materials and methods: Trait emotional intelligence was computed using a pre-validated Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire-Short Form (TEIQue-SF). The study was conducted in two time frames and in two study groups, the Class of 2019 (pre-pandemic cohort) and the Class of 2020 (pandemic cohort). Further, the pre-pandemic cohort's EI score was assessed twice, initially in August 2019 (Timeframe 1 (T1) which was before the pandemic) and secondly in October 2020 (Timeframe 2 (T2) which was during the pandemic) in Phase II and the COVID-19 first wave was peaking in India. The TEI scores of the pre-pandemic cohort and pandemic cohort were compared using an unpaired T-test. The pre-pandemic cohort scores assessed in two time frames were compared using a paired T-test.  Results: The pandemic cohort showed significantly less total TEI (p < 0.05) and well-being score (p < 0.05) in the pre-pandemic cohort from August 2019 (T1) to October 2020 (T2) (p = 0.036).  Conclusions: The low TEI scores in the pandemic cohort may be attributed to the sudden psychological and social effects of the pandemic. Moreover, with advancing age and years of medical curriculum, the TEI scores increased.