The Assessment of Trait Emotional Intelligence: Psychometric Characteristics of the TEIQue-Full Form in a Large Italian Adult Sample

Abstract

Trait Emotional Intelligence (or trait emotional self-efficacy) is a constellation of emotional perceptions assessed through questionnaires and rating scales (Petrides et al., 2007b). This paper examined the psychometric features of the Trait Emotional Questionnaire Full Form (TEIQue-FF; Petrides, 2009b) in the Italian context. Incremental validity in the prediction of depression and anxiety was also tested with respect to the Big Five. Participants were 1343 individuals balanced for gender (690 females and 653 males) whose mean age was 29.65 years (SD = 13.64, range 17–74 years). They completed a questionnaire battery containing the TEIQue and measures of the Big Five, depression, and anxiety (both trait and state). Results indicated that the performance of the TEIQue-FF in the Italian context was comparable to the original United Kingdom version as regards its reliability and factor structure. Moreover, the instrument showed incremental validity in the prediction of depression and state-trait anxiety after controlling for the Big Five.

The Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire in Lebanon and the UK: A comparison of the psychometric properties in each country

“…As for the factors, the alpha for Self‐control was lower in the UK than Lebanon, and the opposite applied to Emotionality. This has not been previously observed in the UK (Petrides, 2009a), although a similar finding was reported in Italy ( α = .69; Chirumbolo et al, 2019). Regarding Emotionality, a similar value was observed in Georgia ( α = .69; Martskvishvili et al, 2013).…”

“…In Lebanon, males scored higher than females on emotion perception, and females scored higher than males on the Well‐being factor. The finding that Lebanese males scored higher than their female counterparts on emotion perception contradicts previous literature (Chirumbolo et al, 2019; Petrides, 2009b). The finding that Lebanese females scored higher than Lebanese males on the Well‐being factor also contradicts the findings by Chirumbolo et al (2019).…”

“…This indicates that the structure of the personality traits within the individuals of both samples are very similar, despite any cultural differences that may influence how the traits manifest (Mikolajczak, Luminet, et al, 2007). Overall, these findings support the cross‐cultural stability of the TEIQue factor structure, which has been consistently replicated in many countries around the world (e.g., Chirumbolo et al, 2019; Mikolajczak, Luminet, et al, 2007; Petrides, 2009b).…”

“…The four facets with alpha coefficients below .70 in the Lebanese sample are self‐motivation, empathy, adaptability and relationships (from highest to lowest). These facets had similar coefficients in other samples (e.g., Aluja et al, 2016; Chirumbolo, Picconi, Morelli, & Petrides, 2019; Martskvishvili, Arutinov, & Mestvirishvili, 2013). The relationships facet specifically is the only facet with a low reliability score, however, this has also been observed in many other countries, such as Italy (Chirumbolo et al, 2019), France (Mikolajczak, Luminet, Leroy, & Roy, 2007), Germany (Freudenthaler et al, 2008), Georgia (Martskvishvili et al, 2013) among others.…”

“…The results of the present study revealed gender differences in scores in both Lebanon and the UK. Previous research has shown conflicting findings (e.g., Chirumbolo et al, 2019; Petrides, 2009b), which can be explained by the fact that males and females tend to have similar global trait EI scores but differ at the factor and facet levels, as in the case of Aluja et al (2016).…”