Empathy, emotional intelligence and self-esteem in university students of health degrees

Introduction. Socio-emotional skills are important in professional performance, especially in health careers. Specifically, empathy and emotional intelligence influence interpersonal relationships related to professional practice. The objective is to determine the relationship between empathy, emotional intelligence and self-esteem in students of careers with a health orientation compared to those who choose to pursue other types of careers. Method. A sample of 229 university students between the ages of 17 and 30 (M = 22.06; SD = 3.29) selected by non-probability sampling participated in the study. Along with socio demographic variables, perceived satisfaction with the career and vocational choice were evaluated and three scales were applied: the BES-B, the TMMS and the Rosenberg self-esteem scale. Results. The academic environment in itself does not determine the presence of greater socioemotional skills, resulting in predictive variables the vocational motivation towards the career, the female gender, the age and the grade. Affective empathy is higher in female students and emotional intelligence scores are homogeneous among the university population. A positive relationship between empathy, emotional intelligence and self-esteem is confirmed with the vocational choice of the career. It predicts high values in empathy and self-esteem, with the students of the health branch obtaining higher scores in empathic skills and self-esteem. Discussion or Conclusion. The study of socio-emotional competences is of great interest in future professionals with dedication to therapeutic and care activities