Does item overlap account for the relationship between trait emotional intelligence and psychopathology in preadolescents?

Social media stress and mental health: A brief report on the protective role of emotional intelligence

Evidence on whether social media use is associated with poor mental health and stress remains mixed and controversial. It is suggested that this effect may vary according to individual differences. Emotional intelligence (EI) is considered a protective resource that can buffer the effects of stressors in certain contexts. We examine whether this protective effect extends to the experience of social media stress. 201 young adults (mean age 26.12; 83.6% female) completed measures of EI (trait; ability), social media stress (SMS), anxiety, depression and wellbeing. SMS related to poorer mental health (symptoms and wellbeing) whilst higher EI was linked to reduced levels of SMS and better mental health. Data show the relationship between SMS and depression is moderated by trait (not ability) EI, such that those with lower levels of trait EI, who experience high levels of SMS, report higher levels of depression symptoms compared to those with higher TEI. Implications and directions for research are explored.

The Role of Emotional Intelligence in the Maintenance of Depression Symptoms and Loneliness Among Children

Identifying factors that predict the maintenance of depression and loneliness in children is important for intervention design. Whilst emotional intelligence (EI) has been identified as a predictor of mental health, research examining how both trait and ability EI contribute to long-term patterns of symptomatology in children is markedly absent. We examined the impact of both TEI and AEI on the maintenance of loneliness and depressive symptoms over 1 year in children aged 9-11 years. Two hundred and thirteen children (54% male) completed the TEIQue-CF and the MSCEIT-YV at the first time point of the study, and the Child Depression Inventory and the Loneliness and Aloneness Scale for Children and Adolescents at Time 1 and, again, 1 year later. Findings indicate that emotional skills (AEI) are important for predicting the maintenance of depressive symptoms and loneliness in children over 1 year; emotional self-competency (TEI) is less influential, only contributing to long-term loneliness in girls. Moreover, whilst deficiencies in the ability to perceive and understand emotions were predictive of prolonged symptomatology, so, too, were proficiencies in using emotion to facilitate thinking and emotion management. Those findings carry important implications for EI theory and future research. They also indicate that EI interventions tailored to groups of "at risk" school children may be useful for reducing specific profiles of internalizing symptoms. Programs targeting AEI skills may be universally helpful for reducing the likelihood that depressive symptoms and loneliness will be maintained over time in middle childhood; girls at risk for prolonged loneliness would additionally benefit from opportunities to bolster TEI.

„Emotionale Intelligenz“ mit einem Fragebogen messen?

Zusammenfassung. Die faktorielle Validität des Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire – Adolescent Short Form (TEIQue-ASF) und der Beitrag der damit erfassten „Emotionalen Intelligenz“ (EI) zur Aufklärung von Schulerfolg wurden an N = 711 deutschen Schülerinnen und Schüler der 6., 7. und 8. Jahrgangsstufe überprüft. Explorative und konfirmatorische Faktorenanalysen ergaben, dass weder das zugrundeliegende theoretische Vier-Faktoren-Modell noch der für die Kurzform vorgesehene globale EI-Wert mit den Daten vereinbar waren. Stattdessen resultierte eine dreifaktorielle Lösung mit 9 Items, welche auch im Vergleich zu Alternativmodellen am besten auf die Daten passte. Jenseits von verbaler Intelligenz und klassischen Persönlichkeitsvariablen lieferte der TEIQue-ASF keinen bedeutsamen Beitrag zur Varianzaufklärung der Schulleistung (Notendurchschnitt). Die Nützlichkeit des TEIQue-ASF wird diskutiert, weitere Validitätsüberprüfungen werden dringend empfohlen.

Developments in Trait Emotional Intelligence Research

Trait emotional intelligence (“trait EI”) concerns our perceptions of our emotional abilities, that is, how good we believe we are in terms of understanding, regulating, and expressing emotions in order to adapt to our environment and maintain well-being. In this article, we present succinct summaries of selected findings from research on (a) the location of trait EI in personality factor space, (b) the biological underpinnings of the construct, (c) indicative applications in the areas of clinical, health, social, educational, organizational, and developmental psychology, and (d) trait EI training. Findings to date suggest that individual differences in trait EI are a consistent predictor of human behavior across the life span.

Self-Report Assessments of Emotional Competencies

This Special Issue of the Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment offers a critical appraisal of the validity, applied utility, and limitations of self-report assessments of emotional competencies. Using self-concept theory as an integrative theoretical framework, this introductory editorial highlights key methodological and validity issues raised in the contributing articles: (a) distinction between emotional competence self-perceptions and objectively measured abilities, (b) effects of response biases and respondents’ age on the psychometric properties of self-reports, (c) importance of adopting a multi-dimensional assessment strategy, and (d) various aspects of construct validity (conceptual definitions and paradigms, gender differences, relationships with basic personality, mechanisms and scope of prediction). The added value of conceptualizing emotional competence self-reports as self-concepts (as proposed in this article) is illustrated in the discussion of practical implications, outstanding questions, and directions for future research on the meaning and uses of these assessments.

A comparison of the trait emotional intelligence profiles of individuals with and without Asperger syndrome

The extent to which the socioemotional impairments of Asperger syndrome (AS) might be extreme manifestations of individual differences within the general population remains under-explored. We compared the trait emotional intelligence (trait EI) profiles of 30 individuals with AS against the profiles of 43 group-matched controls using the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire (TEIQue). Participants with AS scored significantly lower than controls on 12 of the 15 TEIQue facets (ηp2 = 0.09 to 0.49) as well as on all four factors and the global score of the construct (ηp2 = 0.07 to 0.41). There was a significant main effect of gender, with men generally scoring higher than women. Results are discussed from the perspective of trait EI theory, with emphasis on its implications for the socioemotional impairments associated with AS.

Trait emotional intelligence and the dark triad traits of personality

This study presents the first behavioral genetic investigation of the relationships between trait emotional intelligence (trait EI or trait emotional self-efficacy) and the Dark Triad traits of narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy. In line with trait EI theory, the construct correlated positively with narcissism, but negatively with the other two traits. Generally, the correlations were consistent across the 4 factors and 15 facets of the construct. Cholesky decomposition analysis revealed that the phenotypic associations were primarily due to correlated genetic factors and secondarily due to correlated nonshared environmental factors, with shared environmental factors being nonsignificant in all cases. Results are discussed from the perspective of trait EI theory with particular reference to the issue of adaptive value.