Systematic review and meta‐analysis: The association between emotional intelligence and subjective well‐being in adolescents

Abstract

Introduction Emotional intelligence (EI) is a psychological protective factor that can improve subjective well‐being (WB) in adolescents. This study aims to establish the overall relationship between different EI models (performance‐based ability model, self‐report ability model, and self‐report mixed model) and subjective WB in adolescents, analyze the affective WB and cognitive WB components, and examine the moderating effect of EI models on both types of subjective WB. Method We searched PsycINFO and WOS databases. Eligible studies reported an association between EI and subjective WB in adolescents aged 10–19 years using instruments that directly measure subjective WB. In addition, two meta‐analyses were conducted, one for the relationship between EI and affective WB and the other for EI and cognitive WB. Results A total of 41 studies were included, of which 37 were pooled in the meta‐analyses. We found a significant positive relationship between EI and affective WB (estimated effect size = 0.35) and between EI and cognitive WB (estimated effect size = 0.27). Regarding EI models, self‐report ability showed an estimated effect size of 0.33 for affective WB and 0.27 for cognitive WB. For the self‐report mixed model, we obtained an estimated effect size of 0.42 for affective WB and 0.37 for cognitive WB. Conclusions Establishing a quantitative relationship between EI and subjective WB makes it possible to implement clinical and educational prevention measures. Introducing EI training in educational and clinical settings can increase subjective WB, significantly impacting the prevention of emotional disorders in adolescents.

Longitudinal Analysis of Adolescent Adjustment: The Role of Attachment and Emotional Competence

“…In the social domain, emotions have an essential role to play in social interactions and especially the ability to manage one’s emotions becomes an important skill for initiating and maintaining peer relationships [ 54 ]. In this sense, emotional competencies influence peer relationships [ 55 ] and adolescents with higher emotional skills may maintain more positive and healthy social interactions [ 56 , 58 ]. In line with suggestions from previous studies [ 47 , 48 ], these results reveal the importance of developing emotional competence during adolescence to prevent the emergence of conduct problems.…”

“…In this sense, emotional competencies influence peer relationships [ 55 ]. Thus, adolescents with higher emotional competence develop better interpersonal and social skills, have more friends and establish healthier and positive social relationships [ 56 , 57 , 58 ]. In contrast, adolescents with poor emotional skills have fewer resources to deal with interpersonal conflicts and use aggression to solve problems [ 59 , 60 ].…”

The impact of emotional intelligence, increasing job demands behaviour and subjective well-being on teacher performance: teacher-gender differences

“…The ability to control and manage emotions makes teachers satisfied with their lives, and it drives subjective well-being (Katana et al, 2019). Previous studies have shown that EI and subjective well-being are interrelated (Llamas-D ıaz et al, 2022;Ngui and Lay, 2020;Austin et al, 2010). Teachers with high EI can adopt a positive coping style when facing pressure, thereby improving their subjective wellbeing (Villanueva et al, 2022;Kouhsari et al, 2022b;Gallagher and VellaBrodrick, 2008).…”

Adaptation and validity of the Trait Meta-Mood scale for Brazilian adolescents

“…In terms of mental health, it is essential to consider the relationship between EI and other psychological variables, not only the negative ones but also those indicative of positive mental health. Among these, the literature has pointed to life satisfaction and psychological well-being ( Salguero et al, 2012 ; Llamas-Diaz et al, 2022 ).…”