First year medical students’ attachment style, emotional intelligence and communication skills

This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of EI on the relationship between medical students’ attachment style and clinical communication. Medical students completed measures of attachment (using the Experiences in Close Relationships–Short Form [ECR-SF]) and EI (using the Mayer–Salovey–Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test [MSCEIT], a measure of the perception, use, understanding and management of emotions) at the end of Year 1, prior to a their clinical communication examination (OSCE). Attachment avoidance was significantly negatively correlated with total EI scores; total EI was significantly positively correlated with OSCE scores. As evidence suggests that attachment EI can be developed through the use of targeted interventions in medical school, this has potential implications for the training of medical students in clinical communication.