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Moderating Effect of Emotional Intelligence on the Relationship between Rumination and Anxiety

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Abstract

This study examined the relations among rumination, emotional intelligence,and anxiety, particularly focusing on whether emotional intelligence moderated the association between rumination and anxiety. A total of 439undergraduates completed the instruments measuring rumination, emotional intelligence, and anxiety. Results of the hierarchical regression analysis indicated that emotionalintelligence moderated the association between rumination and anxiety. When participants reported a low level of emotional intelligence, those with higherrumination reported greateranxiety. However, the impact of rumination on anxiety was not significant in the group with high emotional intelligence. The foremost finding of this study is that emotional intelligence could serve as a protective factor in the path from rumination to anxiety.

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Correspondence to Shizhong Ren.

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Ming Liu declares that he has no conflict of interest; Shizhong Ren declares that he has no conflict of interest.

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Liu, M., Ren, S. Moderating Effect of Emotional Intelligence on the Relationship between Rumination and Anxiety. Curr Psychol 37, 272–279 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-016-9510-7

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