International Journal of

ADVANCED AND APPLIED SCIENCES

EISSN: 2313-3724, Print ISSN: 2313-626X

Frequency: 12

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 Volume 12, Issue 8 (August 2025), Pages: 110-117

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 Original Research Paper

Emotional intelligence and leadership styles of nurse managers in Ha’il, Saudi Arabia

 Author(s): 

 Jordan Llego 1, 2, *, Richard Dennis Dayrit 3, Haidee Pacheco 4, Mohammad Alboliteeh 3, DaifAllah AlThubaity 5

 Affiliation(s):

  1Nursing Administration and Education Department, College of Nursing and Midwifery, University of Luzon, Dagupan City, Philippines
  2Nursing Department, Institute of Nursing and Allied Health Sciences, Manuel V. Gallego Foundation Colleges, Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija, Philippines
  3Nursing Administration Department, College of Nursing, University of Ha’il, Ha’il, 55476, Saudi Arabia
  4Medical-Surgical Nursing Department, College of Nursing, University of Ha’il, Ha’il, 55476, Saudi Arabia
  5Nursing Practices Department, Faculty of Nursing, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah 24382, Saudi Arabia

 Full text

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 * Corresponding Author. 

   Corresponding author's ORCID profile:  https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6501-4943

 Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

  https://doi.org/10.21833/ijaas.2025.08.011

 Abstract

This study explores the link between emotional intelligence (EI) and leadership styles among nurse managers working in government hospitals in Ha’il, Saudi Arabia. Using a descriptive-correlational design, data were collected from 154 nurse managers through a validated 52-item questionnaire that assessed EI and six leadership styles: transformational, democratic, autocratic, transactional, laissez-faire, and strategic. The findings showed that nurse managers had moderate levels of EI. Among the leadership styles, transformational leadership was used most often, while laissez-faire was least common. EI was moderately and positively correlated with strategic leadership (r = 0.51) and showed weak positive correlations with democratic, autocratic, transactional, and laissez-faire styles. However, there was no significant correlation between EI and transformational leadership (r = 0.19, p = 0.18). Linear regression analysis indicated that EI significantly predicted democratic, autocratic, transactional, laissez-faire, and strategic leadership styles, with the strongest predictive value for strategic leadership (R² = 0.28). These results challenge the traditional belief that EI is closely associated with transformational leadership. Instead, they suggest that EI’s influence on leadership may depend on specific contexts. The study highlights the important but complex role of EI in shaping nurse managers’ leadership approaches. To develop effective and adaptable nurse leaders for today’s healthcare environment, leadership programs should focus on enhancing EI alongside organizational support.

 © 2025 The Authors. Published by IASE.

 This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

 Keywords

 Correlational study, Emotional intelligence, Leadership styles, Nurse managers, Government hospitals

 Article history

 Received 14 March 2025, Received in revised form 3 July 2025, Accepted 15 July 2025

 Acknowledgment

This research was made possible through the DEAN LLEGO Research Program. 

 Compliance with ethical standards

 Ethical considerations

The study received ethical approval from the Research Ethics Committee of the University of Ha’il (Ref. No. H-2023-138, dated January 3, 2023), and hospital consent was obtained before data collection. A permission letter outlining the study’s purpose, benefits, risks, and estimated completion time was attached to each questionnaire, with participation being voluntary and without compensation. All responses were anonymized, securely stored, and handled in accordance with institutional policies and the Declaration of Helsinki.

 Conflict of interest: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

 Citation:

 Llego J, Dayrit RD, Pacheco H, Alboliteeh M, and AlThubaity D (2025). Emotional intelligence and leadership styles of nurse managers in Ha’il, Saudi Arabia. International Journal of Advanced and Applied Sciences, 12(8): 110-117

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 Figures

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 Tables

  Table 1  Table 2  Table 3  Table 4  Table 5  Table 6

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