Facing Anxiety, Growing Up. Trait Emotional Intelligence as a Mediator of the Relationship Between Self-Esteem and University Anxiety

Abstract

The current study analyzed how trait emotional intelligence (trait EI) mediates the relationship between self-esteem and state anxiety and trait anxiety. The sample was composed of 153 undergraduate students from the University of Cádiz, Spain (71.9% women and 28.1% men). Students completed measures of self-esteem, state anxiety, trait anxiety, and trait EI. Mediation analyses were completed with three trait EI dimensions (EA, emotional attention; EC, emotional clarity; and MR, mood repair) as mediating variables, self-esteem as the independent variable, and state anxiety and trait anxiety as the dependent ones. Our results confirmed that self-esteem scores explained and predicted both, state and trait anxiety values (13% for state and 21% for trait anxiety). This explanatory capacity is increased by 8% when accounting for all trait EI dimensions. Considering state anxiety, the results of the direct effects showed that a decrease in their levels is predicted through the increases in the levels of both, self-esteem and MR. Regarding trait anxiety, the results of the direct effects showed that a decrease in their levels is predicted, in addition to an increment of self-esteem and MR values, by an increase of EC and a decrease of EA. Conversely, indirect effects revealed that higher levels of self-esteem were associated with worse scores in EA and worse MR, which in turn would enhance both state and trait anxiety levels. Moreover, regarding trait anxiety higher levels of self-esteem were associated with worse scores in EA and worse EC, therefore increasing trait anxiety levels. As shown, the negative association found between self-esteem and EA becomes a key element. The effect of self-esteem on EA and the influence that the latter had on EC and MR exerts an indirect mediated effect with the power to invert the influence that self-esteem wields on both types of anxiety. In this sense, the apparent protective role of self-esteem changed, turning into a risk factor that promotes higher anxiety values.

Lights and Shadows of Trait Emotional Intelligence: Its Mediating Role in the Relationship Between Negative Affect and State Anxiety in University Students

“… Pena and Losada (2017) indicated in their mediation model that, in stressful situations, students with higher levels of emotional attention manage emotions less effectively and tend to perceive higher test anxiety. Another recent study has also shown that TEI mediates the relationship between self-esteem and state anxiety in a sample of university students, also confirming a negative association between self-esteem and emotional attention ( Guil et al, 2019 ). The authors also indicated that the effect of self-esteem on emotional attention and its influence on clarity and emotional repair exerted a mediated influence with the power to reverse the positive link between self-esteem and anxiety ( Guil et al, 2019 ).…”

“…TEI is composed of three dimensions and can be defined as the ability to attend (emotional attention), understand (emotional clarity), and modify (mood repair) emotional states ( Salovey et al, 1995 ). Many studies have confirmed the role of TEI as a predictor of positive emotional states and personal, social, academic, and work success ( Brackett et al, 2011 ; Caruso et al, 2019 ; Guil et al, 2019 ). Research has also shown how emotions and affective states control our health and well-being ( Vera-Villarroel et al, 2019 ; Sarrionandia and Mikolajczak, 2020 ).…”

“…Even though this global sanitary emergency is a recent problem, recent studies that evaluated the psychological status of university students have revealed that negative affect was associated with higher levels of anxiety ( Cao et al, 2020 ). This higher prevalence of anxiety disorders has become a major problem for colleges and universities, who must develop programs to encourage students to properly regulate their negative emotional states during crises ( Guil et al, 2019 ).…”

Boosting return to work after breast cancer: The mediator role of perceived emotional intelligence

“…16,17 It is composed of three dimensions: emotional attention (EA) that refers to the degree that people attend to their emotional experiences, emotional clarity (EC) that relates to self-perceptions concerning how clearly individuals understand own and other's emotional states, and mood repair (MR) that represents the self-perceptions regarding the ability to manage emotions. 17 PEI acts as a personal protective factor in children, young people, and adults. [18][19][20][21] This positive association has been confirmed in mental, psychosomatic, and physical health.…”

“…While some studies suggested a negative relationship between EA, anxiety, and depression in undergraduate students, 26 other authors have found a positive association between EA and anxiety, suggesting that high EA is not necessarily beneficial. 17,27 Attending to EC and MR, research has highlighted a positive association between these constructs and psychosocial adjustment, 28 positive coping, well-being, and quality of life, and a negative association with anxiety and depression in BC patients and undergraduates. 29,30 Altogether, these results seem to confirm that perceptions of emotional abilities are essential contributors to psychological adjustment and positive health outcomes.…”