Youth Emotional Intelligence as Related to Adaptive Coping with Stress Encounters

The current research aimed to examine the nexus of relationships between emotional intelligence (EI) and adaptive coping with stressful encounters among adolescents. More specifically, the study assesses the extent to which EI uniquely facilitates adaptive coping, beyond the effects of general intelligence and personality dimensions. The research is based on Mayer and Salovey’s (1997) definition of EI as a hierarchically organized constellation of four emotional abilities that leads to emotional growth and enables individuals to cope adaptively with stress encounters, thus improving their sense of well-being. Accordingly, we hypothesized that adolescents with high EI cope more effectively in stressful situations than those with low EI, reaching more adaptive outcomes and thus a greater sense of well-being. We also examined the mediating role of social support in the relationship between EI and adaptive coping. The sample included 203 adolescents, aged 16-17 (41.9% boys, 58.1% girls), and their homeroom teachers completed questionnaires regarding the examined variables. Overall, the results corroborated our hypothesis: High EI and positive adaptive outcomes were highly correlated. EI and problem-focused or emotion-focused coping were not correlated, but EI was negatively correlated with avoidant coping strategies that entail non-adaptive behaviors. Modest positive correlations were found between EI and scholastic performance. Furthermore, an assessment of the hypothesized model using structural equation modeling (SEM) showed social support mediates the nexus of relationships between EI and adaptive outcomes. Students’ evaluations of their homeroom teachers supplemented the assessment of the research model. The findings indicate that in times of stress, adolescents with high EI rely on their higher emotional abilities to build a social network that supplies them with significant social resources to minimize the negative impact of stress, help them achieve positive adaptive outcomes, and protect them from using non-adaptive coping strategies. Implications of the findings for adolescents’ education are discussed.