Validity and Reliability of the Korean version of the Wong and Law Emotional Intelligence Scale for Nurses

Abstract

Emotional intelligence is a social ability that enables one to control one’s emotions and understand and empathize with others, which is an essential skill for medical professionals, including nurses. However, no valid and reliable instrument exists to assess the emotional intelligence of nurses in Korea. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the validity and reliability of the Korean version of the Wong and Law Emotional Intelligence Scale. To do this, the existing English version of the scale was translated into Korean and its content, construct, and convergent validity were evaluated. Participants ( N = 210 nurses) were recruited from two hospitals in South Korea. The final scale showed a content validity index of .90, had adequate construct validity, and had a Cronbach’s α of .91 for the overall scale. Thus, this scale is a valid, reliable, and suitable measure of Korean hospital nurses’ emotional intelligence.