Sergio Mérida-López

Contributions of Work-Related Stress and Emotional Intelligence to Teacher Engagement: Additive and Interactive Effects

This study examined the additive and interactive effects of role stress and emotional intelligence for predicting engagement among 288 teachers. Emotional intelligence and engagement were positively associated. Role ambiguity and role conflict showed negative associations with vigor and dedication scores. The interaction of role ambiguity and emotional intelligence was significant in explaining engagement dimensions. Similar results were found considering overall teacher engagement. Emotional intelligence boosted engagement when the levels of role ambiguity were higher. Our findings suggest the need for future research examining the impact of job hindrances on the links between emotional intelligence and teachers’ occupational well-being indicators. Finally, the implications for emotional intelligence training in education are discussed.

Cyberbullying Victimization, Self-Esteem and Suicidal Ideation in Adolescence: Does Emotional Intelligence Play a Buffering Role?

Cyberbullying has been linked to social, physical and psychological problems for adolescent victims but there has been no analysis of the specific role of emotional intelligence in protecting against the negative symptoms associated with cyberbullying victimization. This study examined the interaction between cyberbullying victimization and emotional intelligence (EI) as predictors of psychological maladjustment (operationalized as high suicidal ideation and low self-esteem) in 1,660 Spanish adolescents. We also investigated whether levels of EI moderated the relationship between cyberbullying victimization and mental health problems. The cyberbullying victimization x EI interaction contributed to variance in suicidal ideation and self-esteem in our sample of adolescent victims. Adolescent victims of cyberbullying with high EI scores reported lower suicidal ideation and higher self-esteem than their less emotionally intelligent counterparts. Thus, our data provide empirical support for theoretical and conceptual work connecting victimization, EI abilities and mental health associated with cyberbullying. This suggests that alone, but also in combination, EI may be particularly relevant in leading to increased levels of mental health issues in cyberbullying victims. Finally, the theoretical implications of our findings on the relationship between these variables and the mental health issues of adolescent victims of cyberbullying are discussed.

Emotion-regulation ability, role stress and teachers’ mental health

BackgroundnWork-related stressors, including role ambiguity and role conflict, are related to psychological maladjustment and mental ill-health. However, to date, the role of personal resources such as emotion-regulation ability (ERA) in the prediction of mental health indicators has not been addressed.nnnAimsnTo examine whether ERA would contribute to explaining teachers depression, anxiety and stress symptoms beyond role ambiguity and role conflict.nnnMethodsnWe carried out a cross-sectional questionnaire survey. We used a correlation matrix and hierarchical regression models to analyse the data.nnnResultsnThree hundred and thirty-six Spanish teachers (185 female) from several grade levels completed the surveys (40% response rate). Role ambiguity and role conflict were positively related to depression, anxiety and stress symptoms. ERA was negatively related to teachers scores on depressive, anxious and stress symptoms, with predictive power above the main effects of role ambiguity and role conflict. An interaction between role ambiguity and ERA was also significant in predicting depression.nnnConclusionsnOur study provides preliminary evidence suggesting the development of integrative models considering work-related stressors along with personal resources such as ERA aiming to prevent teachers mental ill-health. Future studies should examine the influence of ERA on psychological symptoms using longitudinal designs.

In pursuit of job satisfaction and happiness: Testing the interactive contribution of emotion-regulation ability and workplace social support

The present study focuses on the interplay of emotion-regulation ability and perceived workplace social support as predictors of job satisfaction and happiness in a Spanish multi-occupational sample. A total of 494 working adults (39.4% females) took part in this study. Emotion-regulation ability and perceived support from colleagues and supervisors were positively associated. In addition, emotion-regulation ability and perceived support from colleagues and supervisors showed positive associations with job satisfaction and happiness. Furthermore, considering results from moderation analyses, when low levels of perceived workplace social support were reported, the relationship between emotion regulation and both job satisfaction and happiness was stronger than in cases of higher perceived workplace support. In line with previous studies, these findings suggest that training in emotion regulation abilities may take into consideration the potential moderating role of job characteristics such as support from colleagues and supervisors. Finally, theoretical and practical implications of the joint study of these factors in line with the Job Demands-Resources model and the Emotional Intelligence framework are discussed.

How Does Emotional Intelligence Make One Feel Better at Work? The Mediational Role of Work Engagement

Although previous research has highlighted the association between emotional intelligence (EI) and job satisfaction, the underlying mechanisms remain relatively unexplored. To address this gap, this study examined employee engagement as a potential mediator of the association. A multi-occupational sample of 405 Spanish professionals completed the Wong Law Emotional Intelligence Scale, the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale and an Overall Job Satisfaction Scale as well as providing socio-demographic data. As expected, employees’ EI was positively related to engagement dimensions (vigour, dedication and absorption) as well as overall job satisfaction. Bootstrap estimates from multiple mediation analysis confirmed that employees’ perceived EI was indirectly associated with job satisfaction via vigour and dedication scores, even when controlling for the effects of socio-demographic variables. Similarly, the same pattern was found when multiple mediation was conducted for each EI dimension. Our study contributes to understanding of the processes involved in maintaining and enhancing positive attitudes at work, providing the first, encouraging evidence that work engagement play a role in the EI-job satisfaction link. Our results extend the EI literature by elucidating the pathways through which EI is linked to positive employee attitudes and suggests that intervention programs designed to bolster EI might prove effective at increasing job satisfaction.

Understanding the links between self-report emotional intelligence and suicide risk: does psychological distress mediate this relationship across time and samples?

Objective: In the last decades, increasing attention has been paid to examining psychological resources that might contribute to our understanding of suicide risk. Although Emotional Intelligence (EI) is one dimension that has been linked with decreased suicidal ideation and behaviors, we detected several gaps in the literature in this area regarding the research designs and samples involved. In this research, we aimed to test a mediator model considering self-report EI, psychological distress and suicide risk across samples adopting both cross-sectional and prospective designs in two independent studies. Method: In Study 1, our purpose was to examine the potential role of psychological distress as a mediator in the relationship between self-report EI and suicide risk in a community sample comprised of 438 adults (270 women; mean age: 33.21 years). In Study 2, we sought to examine the proposed mediator model considering a 2-month prospective design in a sample of college students (n = 330 in T1; n = 311 in T2; 264 women; mean age: 22.22 years). Results: In Study 1, we found that psychological distress partially mediated the effect of self-report EI on suicide risk. More interestingly, findings from Study 2 showed that psychological distress fully mediated the relationship between self-report EI and suicide risk at Time 2. Conclusion: These results point out the role of psychological distress as a mediator in the association between self-report EI and suicide risk. These findings suggest an underlying process by which self-report EI may act as a protective factor against suicidal ideation and behaviors. In line with the limitations of our work, plausible avenues for future research and interventions are discussed.

Inteligencia emocional y cibervictimización en adolescentes: El género como moderador

Elucidating personal factors that may protect against the adverse psychological outcomes of cyberbullying victimisation might help guide more effective screening and school intervention. No studies have yet examined the role of emotional intelligence (EI) and gender in adolescent victims of cyberbullying and how these dimensions might interact in explaining cybervictimisation experiences. The main aim of this study was to examine the relationship between EI and cybervictimisation, and the interactive link involving EI skills and gender as predictors of cyberbullying victimisation in a sample of 1,645 Spanish adolescents (50.6% female), aged between 12 and 18 years. Regarding the prevalence of cybervictimisation, our results indicated that over 83.95% of the sample were considered non-cyber victims, while 16.05% experienced occasional or severe cyber victimisation. Additionally, findings indicated that deficits in EI and its dimensions were positively associated with cyber victimisation in both genders, but were stronger in females. Besides, a significant emotion regulation x gender association was found in explaining cyber victimisation experiences. While no interaction was found for males, for females the deficits of emotion regulation were significantly associated with greater victimisation. Our findings provide empirical support for theoretical work connecting EI skills, gender and cyber victimisation, suggesting emotion regulation skills might be considered as valuable resources, as well as the inclusion in new gender-tailored cyberation victimisation prevention programmes.Dilucidar los factores personales que protegen contra las consecuencias psicologicas de la cibervictimizacion podria ayudar a una deteccion e intervencion escolar mas eficaz. Ningun estudio ha examinado el papel de la inteligencia emocional (IE) y el genero en adolescentes victimas de ciberacoso y como estas dimensiones interactuan para explicar la cibervictimizacion. El objetivo de este estudio fue examinar la relacion entre IE y cibervictimizacion, y el papel moderador de las habilidades de IE y el genero como predictores de la cibervictimizacion en una muestra de 1.645 adolescentes espanoles (50,6% mujeres) de edades entre 12 y 18 anos. Con respecto a la prevalencia, nuestros resultados indicaron que el 83,95% de la muestra no eran cibervictimas mientras un 16,05% eran cibervictimas ocasionales o severas. Los resultados mostraron que los deficits en IE y sus dimensiones se asociaron positivamente con la cibervictimizacion en ambos generos, pero mas en mujeres. Ademas, se encontro una interaccion significativa entre regulacion emocional y genero explicando las experiencias de cibervictimizacion. Aunque no hubo interaccion para los hombres, para las mujeres el deficit en regulacion emocional se asocio significativamente a mayor cibervictimizacion. Nuestros hallazgos proporcionan apoyo empirico para el corpus teorico que conecta las habilidades de IE, el genero y la cibervictimizacion, sugiriendo que la regulacion emocional puede ser considerada un recurso valioso, asi como de inclusion en futuros programas de prevencion de cibervictimizacion ajustados por generos.