Social Support and Emotional Intelligence as Protective Resources for Well-Being in Moroccan Adolescents

Abstract

This study aimed to test a structural model to examine the protective role of psychosocial variables, such as social support, emotional intelligence and their interaction, on the cognitive dimension of subjective positive well-being (life satisfaction) and negative well-being (depression) in Moroccan adolescents. The participants consisted of 1277 students (571 men, 694 women and 12 missing values) with a mean age of 16.15 years ( SD = 2.22; range = 9 to 23) who attended 26 public schools in different territories of Morocco. These students were in secondary education ( n = 893) and high school ( n = 378) (6 missing values). The scales for measuring the variables of interest had to be adapted and validated as a previous step for the further proposal of a model of relations. Statistical analyses were conducted using structural equation modeling (SEM) to test the proposed model. The model that optimally adjusted the data confirmed the protective role of social support in the well-being of Moroccan adolescents. Consistent with previous studies, social support was directly related to well-being. However, it also modulated levels of satisfaction with life. Likewise, the inclusion of emotional intelligence as an additional protective factor contributed to the explanation of the well-being mechanisms in adolescents. In addition to direct associations with the levels of social support, satisfaction with life and depression (negative in the latter case), emotional intelligence participated in a complex chain affecting life satisfaction and life satisfaction affecting depression. Moreover, the interaction of emotional intelligence with social support was confirmed to determine levels of life satisfaction in adolescents. Specifically, social support multiplied the effects of the relationship between satisfaction with life and emotional intelligence in cases of moderate and high levels in Moroccan adolescents. This study fills a gap in the literature by adapting and further analyzing several scales with Moroccan samples of adolescents and by proposing and verifying a relational model that can help researchers and teachers to more precisely clarify these relations according to their context. The enhancement of protective factors, such as social support and emotional intelligence, will promote healthy youth development, thus creating healthier societies in the future.

Socioemotional Resources Account for Academic Adjustment in Moroccan Adolescents

“…This result supports the importance of intervention programs for adolescents with clear implications for educational practice. Finally, other studies finding that EI and social support prevent depression (Lopez-Zafra et al, 2019) are extended by our finding that this effect also influences self-concept by reducing the negative impact of depression, thus supporting H4. This result in Moroccan students is in line with results in other countries reported by MacCann et al (2020) in which indicate that the contribution of EI in the regulation of negative emotions (i.e., anxiety or boredom) is responsible of the positive effects of EI on academic performance.…”

“…Our starting point is the study by Lopez-Zafra et al (2019), in which the authors prove that social support and EI are protective factors for well-being, positively increasing life satisfaction and reducing depression. Here, we further test whether socioemotional adjustment relates to academic adjustment in Moroccan adolescents.…”

“…However, personal and socioemotional variables also interact in this relation, which may be attenuated by EI or social support. In fact, EI is negatively related to depression and anxiety (Fernández-Berrocal et al, 2006) and has been proven to act as a protective factor jointly with social support in determining levels of life satisfaction in Moroccan adolescents (Lopez-Zafra et al, 2019).…”

<p>Family Functioning and Life Satisfaction: The Mediatory Role of Emotional Intelligence</p>

“…In fact, it is widely acknowledged that individuals with high levels of emotional intelligence, measured as a trait and as an ability, report higher life satisfaction. [20][21][22][23][24][25] Some other studies confirm that emotional intelligence is a significant predictor of hedonic and eudemonic well-being. 26,27 The meta-analysis conducted by Sánchez-Álvarez and colleagues 28 on a total of 25 studies and on a combined sample of more than 8000 participants provides evidence of a significant positive relationship between emotional intelligence and life satisfaction (r = 0.32).…”

Examining Emotional Literacy Development Using a Brief On-Line Positive Psychology Intervention with Primary School Children

“…Previous research has shown that EC/EI are associated with positive wellbeing outcomes [ 25 , 26 ], including mediating wellbeing outcomes [ 27 ]. This study adds to the literature by further exploring the development of emotional literacy (as a component of WL) via a brief online PPI.…”