The relationship between emotional intelligence levels, stress management skills and hormonal and cerebral responses in university students

Background: Emotional intelligence is a person’s ability, capacity and ability to understand, use, understand, manage, anticipate, manage and direct the emotions of oneself or others. Students with high levels of emotional intelligence express themselves better, are more resistant to stress in their lives, and are individuals who can direct their emotions. Leaders with strong emotional intelligence will create synergy for all employees. Therefore, emotional intelligence and stress management skills are important issues in the field of leadership and organizational behavior. At the same time, emotional intelligence and stress management skills interact with hormones. This study aims to examine the emotional intelligence levels and hormone (apelin, cortisol) and cerebral (Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF)) response of 4th-year students of the faculty of health sciences at the university, who are potential managers of the future in terms of some variables. Methods: The research was conducted using the cross-sectional data method with 167 university students aged 18–24 who were reported to be clinically healthy in Türkiye. Apelin, cortisol hormone and BDNF levels in the participants’ saliva samples were analyzed using the ELISA technique. The relationship between emotional intelligence level and total scores from the stress coping scale and salivary apelin, cortisol and BDNF levels were evaluated. Results: In the study, it was determined that the average level of apelin hormone in saliva was “2.36 ± 0.076)’’ ng/mL in girls and “2.57 ± 0.071’’ ng/mL in boys. In girls, the BDNF level was “3.19 ± 0.97’’ and the cortisol level was “2.04 ± 0.72’’. BDNF level in boys is “3.41 ± 0.94’’and cortisol level is “1.92 ± 0.59’’. There is a significant difference between the participants’ allowances (income levels) and the average levels of salivary apelin hormone, BDNF and emotional intelligence scale (p < 0.01). A positive, strong and statistically significant relationship was found between the participants’ emotional intelligence level and stress management skills and apelin and BDNF levels, and a negative, strong and statistically significant relationship was found between salivary cortisol levels (p˂0.01). Conclusions: High emotional intelligence and stress management skills are an important element of strategic importance for a successful management and professional success process in individuals who will work in fields that need people such as health, marketing, law, consultancy, medicine, teaching and the service sector. Our study determined that as university students’ emotional intelligence levels strengthened, the participants’ stress management skills, salivary apelin, and BDNF levels increased, and cortisol hormone levels decreased. As a result, monitoring and examining apelin, BDNF, cortisol hormones can be useful parameters in evaluating the interaction between individuals’ emotional intelligence level and stress management skills and hormone response.