Features of the Influence of Emotional Intelligence on the Mental Burnout of Volunteers in the Conditions of Professionally Oriented Volunteer Activity

   Volunteering is one of the priority areas for the implementation of the state youth policy of the Russian Federation. The researchers argue that at the moment in Russia, volunteering is at its peak of development, and they consider the activity of a volunteer as a resource space for the development of emotional intelligence and motivation among students. The implementation of volunteer activities requires the expenditure of a large amount of emotional resources and control over emotions, their understanding and timely elaboration in order not to harm the beneficiaries. At the same time, excessive emotional control and accumulation of emotions leads to their uncontrolled manifestation and mental burnout. The study of the emotional intelligence of volunteers reveals the possibility of considering it as a factor in the occurrence of mental burnout and a resource for overcoming it.

   Thus, the purpose of the study is to study the relationship between emotional intelligence and mental burnout of volunteers engaged in professionally oriented and non-professional volunteer activities.

   It was attended by 44 medical volunteers aged 18 to 23 years old, studying at the Kursk State Medical University of the Ministry of Health of Russia and 44 volunteers who are not engaged in professionally oriented volunteer activities, studying at other educational institutions. Observation and conversation, as well as standardized psychodiagnostic methods for the study of mental burnout and emotional intelligence were used to collect data. The results were processed using the methods of descriptive statistics, comparative (non-parametric Mann-Whitney U test), correlation and regression types of analysis. The presence of statistically significant correlations between indicators of emotional intelligence and mental burnout has been empirically proven. Indicators of interpersonal emotional intelligence indicate the empathy of volunteers engaged in professionally oriented volunteer activities, their understanding of the emotions of their charges and knowledge of how to change the emotional background if necessary. The ability to understand the internal states of other people, maintain their own desirable and control unwanted emotions act as a factor in stability and overcoming mental burnout.

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