Childhood Trauma and Anger Behavior: Mediational Effect of Emotional Intelligence

J Health Info Stat > Volume 40(2); 2015 > Article

J Health Info Stat 2015;40(2):31-43.

아동기 외상과 분노행동: 정서지능의 매개효과

이은비 , 장은영 , 이선미

Childhood Trauma and Anger Behavior: Mediational Effect of Emotional Intelligence

Eun Bi Lee , Eun Young Jang , Soun Mee Lee

ABSTRACT

Objectives:
Considering the importance of emotional distress and mental health among nurses in clinical practice, this study focused to anger expression of nursing students. Specifically, the present study explored the relation between childhood trauma and anger expression of nursing students and the mediational role of emotional regulation.
Methods:
Participants (122 nursing students; 138 students of other majors) indicated their gender, age and year, major, and then responded to the questionnaire including the childhood abuse, anger expression, and emotional intelligence.
Results:
Nursing students showed higher level of emotional intelligence and lower level of physical abuse during childhood than students of other majors. SEM showed direct link between neglect and physical confrontation, physical abuse and impulsive reaction, emotional abuse and verbal aggression. Also, emotional abuse associated with emotional intelligence, which related to four types of anger expression in turn.
Conclusions:
The results of this study suggest harmful effect of childhood trauma on difficulties in controlling anger in youths including nursing students. However, it was revealed that emotional intelligence had potential mediator which could relieve childhood abuse experience.

Key words: Childhood trauma, Anger expression, Emotional intelligence, Nursing students