Does internet addiction affect the level of emotional intelligence among nursing students? A cross-sectional study

Aim: To examine the effect of internet addiction on emotional intelligence among nursing students. Internet addiction, especially among nursing students, is an ongoing and urgent issue globally. Despite studies acknowledging its negative effects, the specific impact on the emotional intelligence of college students is not completely explored and needs more investigation. Design: A correlational cross-sectional descriptive study. Methods: Participants included 180 nursing students from Mansoura University, Egypt. They completed the Socio-demographic sheet, Internet Addiction Test, and Schutte Self-Report Emotional Intelligence. Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and regression analysis were conducted to analyze the data. Results: Nursing students experience a moderate level of internet addiction and a neutral level of emotional intelligence. A significant negative relationship was established between internet addiction among students and their emotional intelligence (r = − 0.53, p < 0.001) and its four facets: perception of emotion, managing own emotions, managing others’ emotions, and utilization of emotion. Regression analysis showed that internet addiction had a negative effect on emotional intelligence among nursing students (β = − 0.553, p < 0.001) and explained 30.5% of the variance of emotional intelligence among nursing students. Conclusions: The study findings suggest that internet addiction negatively impacts the emotional intelligence of nursing students, which is crucial for effective interpersonal relations and professional competence in nursing. Implications: The study underscores the need for educational programs to raise awareness about the hazards of excessive internet use and to promote activities that mitigate internet addiction.