Relationship between emotional intelligence and job satisfaction in newly qualified Malaysian dentists

Abstract

Job satisfaction (JS) is considered to be a key factor in workforce retention. This article reports on the association between emotional intelligence (EI) and JS in newly qualified dentistsemployed in the Malaysian 3-year compulsory service. A postal questionnaire survey collected data on sociodemographic and occupational characteristics, EI, and JS. In a sample of 342 (58.9%) respondents, sociodemographic characteristics were not statistically significantly associated with both EI and JS total scores, whereas overseas graduates scored more highly on the EI scale compared with local graduates. Linear regression analysis indicated that EI was the only statistically significant predictor of JS. EI was statistically significantly associated with JS with patient relationships (r = 0.28; P = .001), peer support (r = 0.30; P = .001), professional development (r = 0.21; P = .001), quality of care (r = 0.57; P = .001), supporting staff (r = 0.24;P = .001), overall JS (r = 0.28; P = .001), and total JS score (r = 0.40; P = .001). However, EI was not statistically significantly associated with JS with income (r = 0.06; P = .302). These findings have implications for the development of interventions to enhance EI and JS in order to promote retention of dentists in the public sector.

Keywords: dentists; emotional intelligence; job satisfaction; professional competence; staff retention; workforce.