Association between work fatigue and cognitive function among Lebanese health-care professionals: the moderating effect of emotional intelligence

The aim of this study was to assess the association between work-related fatigue and cognitive impairment among Lebanese health-care professionals with a closer look into the moderating role of emotional intelligence. This cross-sectional study was conducted between November 2021 and January 2022; 406 Lebanese health-care professionals were recruited through convenience sampling. Moderate analysis showed that with low levels of emotional intelligence, more physical, mental, or emotional work fatigue was significantly associated with lower cognitive function scores. These scores get better in people with moderate and high emotional intelligence for the same levels of work fatigue. Health-care workers, especially in Lebanon, are subject to a decline in their cognitive function when faced to high work fatigue loads in all its types, physical, mental, and emotional, along with the country's stressors. Here comes the role of emotional intelligence, where for the same level of fatigue, professionals with high emotional intelligence tend to have better cognitive functioning

Automated summary

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between work-related fatigue and cognitive impairment in Lebanese health-care professionals, with a focus on the moderating role of emotional intelligence. A cross-sectional study was conducted from November 2021 to January 2022, with 406 Lebanese health-care professionals recruited through convenience sampling. The results indicated that lower levels of emotional intelligence were significantly associated with decreased cognitive function scores when experiencing higher levels of physical, mental, or emotional work fatigue. However, for professionals with moderate and high emotional intelligence, cognitive function scores improved even at the same levels of work fatigue.