The Effect of Psychodrama-Based Communication Skills Training on Emotional Intelligence and Communication Competence: Randomized Controlled Trial

Objective: To determine the effect of Psychodrama-Based Interpersonal Relationship Training (PBIRT), conducted alongside an interpersonal relations in nursing course, on nursing students’ emotional intelligence and communication competence.Methods: This concurrent embedded mixed-methods study included a prospective, randomized, single-blinded, pretest-posttest controlled trial and qualitative content analysis. The study was conducted with first-year nursing students at a public university in Türkiye between March and June 2021. Participants were randomly assigned to an experimental group (n=14) or a control group (n=15). Both groups attended a 14-week online Interpersonal Relations in Nursing Course, while the experimental group additionally participated in weekly online PBIRT sessions. Quantitative data were collected using the Emotional Intelligence Scale (EIS) and Communication Competence Scale (CCS). Qualitative data were obtained from participants’ reflections and group discussions during psychodrama sessions. Quantitative data were analyzed using chi-square, Wilcoxon signed-rank, and Mann-Whitney U tests; qualitative data were analyzed using content analysis.Results: In the experimental group, significant improvements were observed in the CCS social behavior competence, individual aspects of communication, and empathy competence subscales, as well as in total EIS scores. Medium-to-large effect sizes indicated practically meaningful improvements. In the control group, only empathy competence increased significantly. However, comparisons of posttest-pretest change scores revealed no statistically significant differences between groups for emotional intelligence, total communication competence, or any communication competence subdimension (P>.05). Qualitative findings indicated improvements in emotional awareness, interpersonal communication, empathy, self-confidence, and social connectedness.Conclusion: Psychodrama-based interventions may support communication skills training in nursing education.