Abstract
Much attention has been paid to the psychological processes underlying the improvement in mood states and human well-being, particularly during adolescence. Theoretical and empirical research suggests that emotional skills may play a role in enhancing perceived well-being; however, the mechanisms involved in during adolescence are unclear. The purpose of this study was to extend understanding by investigating the potential mediators of the relationship between emotional intelligence (EI) and life satisfaction in a 2-years study. Participants were 269 high school students (145 girls and 124 boys) who completed the self-report perceived emotional intelligence (PEI) Scale, the Satisfaction with Life Scale, and the Positive Affect and Negative Affect Scale three times at 1-year intervals. The three-step longitudinal design corroborated earlier research indicating that positive and negative affect mediate the relationships between EI and life satisfaction. Students with high PEI tended to have more positive experiences and fewer negative experiences, which contributed to their greater life satisfaction. No sex differences were found in the multi-group analyses, suggesting that the causal relationships are similar in both sexes. These findings extend our understanding of the complex network of relationships involving PEI and life satisfaction in adolescence. Implications and limitations of the findings are discussed.
Highlights
In recent decades many studies have reported positive relationships between emotional skills and well-being outcomes (Mikolajczak et al, 2008; Zeidner et al, 2009)
Attention to feelings was positively correlated with negative affect at all three timepoints, whereas mood clarity and emotional repair were positively correlated with positive affect and life satisfaction at all three timepoints
Both mediation effects are integrated into a single model. This model was an acceptable fit to the data (X2 = 173,074; p = 1.502; g.l. = 67; normed fix index (NFI) = 0.908; incremental fix index (IFI) = 0.941; comparative fit index (CFI) = 0.938; residual mean squared error approximation (RMSEA) = 0.073), overall the model accounted for 32% of the variance in life satisfaction
Summary
In recent decades many studies have reported positive relationships between emotional skills and well-being outcomes (Mikolajczak et al, 2008; Zeidner et al, 2009). There is growing interest in identifying the psychological processes that enhance positive emotions and life satisfaction, there is a lack of understanding of the emotional processes which underpin subjective well-being. Maintaining Life Satisfaction in Adolescence disorders (Gohm and Clore, 2002a; Nolen-Hoeksema, 2003). There is, a dearth of scientific literature on the relationship between emotional skills and well-being (SánchezÁlvarez et al, in press). This study focuses on the influence of emotional self-efficacy, known as perceived emotional intelligence (PEI), and subjective well-being (SWB), and considers how the different components of SWB (cognitive and affective) might act as mediators
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