When and How Do Emotional Intelligence and Flourishing Protect against Suicide Risk in Adolescent Bullying Victims?

Sergio Mérida-López,Nicolás Sánchez-Álvarez,Lourdes Rey,Natalio Extremera

doi:10.3390/ijerph16122114

Sergio Mérida-López, Nicolás Sánchez-Álvarez + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16122114

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Abstract

This study contributes to current knowledge on the protective role of emotional intelligence and flourishing in cases of suicide risk (namely depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation) in a sample of adolescent victims of traditional bullying. The proposed model tested the mediator role of flourishing in the relationship between emotional intelligence (EI) and suicide risk together with the moderating effect of EI in the relationship between low flourishing and increased suicide risk. Considering an initial sample of 1847 adolescents (52.5% female), a subsample of 494 pure bullying victims (61.3% female) took part in this research. The main results showed EI to be linked to decreased suicide risk through levels of flourishing. Moreover, EI buffered the relationship between low flourishing and the associated suicide risk. Victimized adolescents with both low levels of EI and of flourishing reported higher levels of suicide risk than their counterparts with high EI levels. This suggests the protective role of EI of both predicting higher flourishing and reducing the likelihood of suicide risk among victimized adolescents with low levels of flourishing. Finally, the practical implications of these novel findings regarding the role of EI and flourishing in the prevention of suicide risk among victimized adolescents are discussed.

Highlights

In recent decades, schools worldwide are facing a major public health problem that is related to aggressive behaviors among peers [1]
The first model showed that emotional intelligence (EI) (β = −0.09, p = 0.007; Lower Limit of the 95% Confidence Interval or LLCI/Upper Limit of the 95% Confidence Interval or ULCI = −0.16/−0.02) and flourishing predicted depressive symptoms (β = −0.02, p < 0.001; LLCI/ULCI = −0.03/−0.02), which suggests that EI has an indirect relationship with depressive symptoms that is mediated by flourishing
Moderated mediation analyses indicated that EI interacts with flourishing to predict levels of depressive symptoms (β = 0.01, p < 0.001; LLCI/ULCI = 0.01/0.02)

Summary

Introduction

Schools worldwide are facing a major public health problem that is related to aggressive behaviors among peers [1]. Generally defined as repeated exposure over time to face-to-face aggressions in which one person or a group intentionally cause pain against a victim who cannot defend him- or herself [2], is regarded as a public health problem requiring serious attention at multiple levels [3]. This call-for-action is a response to the adverse consequences bullying posits on adolescents’ adjustment, health, and well-being. According to the main findings of a systematic review, the number of the experienced adversities or negative life events seemed to have a positive dose-response relation with

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