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Trait emotional intelligence and resilience: gender differences among university students

Emotionale Intelligenz als Eigenschaft und Resilienz: Geschlechtsunterschiede bei Universitätsstudierenden

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Summary

Background

Previous studies have reported strong correlations of emotional intelligence (EI) with mental health and wellbeing; it is also a powerful predictor of social functioning and personal adaption. Resilience is the ability to adapt to significant life stressors and is also crucial for maintaining and restoring physical and mental health. The aim of this study was to investigate EI and resilience in healthy university students, with a focus on gender differences in EI and resilience components.

Materials and methods

A total of 277 datasets collected via online questionnaire were analyzed. The questionnaire comprised the Self-Report Emotional Ability Scale (SEAS) developed by Freudenthaler and Neubauer for assessing trait EI facets and the Connor–Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC).

Results

Regarding trait EI, females scored significantly higher in the total score for interpersonal emotional skills and in the subscale “Perception of the emotions of others” than males. Men showed significantly higher total scores in intrapersonal emotion-related abilities than women, and in the subscales “Regulation of one’s own emotions” and “Control over the expression of one’s own emotions.” Concerning resilience, female students had significantly higher scores in the CD-RISC subscales “Personal competence and tenacity,” “Control,” and “Spiritual influence.” The intrapersonal trait EI (SEAS) sum score showed a significant positive correlation with the total scores of the CD-RISC (rs = 0.445, p < 0.001). There were also positive correlations between the interpersonal trait EI sum score and the CD-RISC total score (rs = 0.438, p < 0.001).

Conclusion

The results indicate gender differences in specific facets of trait EI and resilience, and an interaction between the two psychological constructs was demonstrated regardless of gender. For prevention of mental disorders and to foster wellbeing, it might be helpful to focus on improvement of self-perception in girls and women, and on supporting emotional awareness towards other people’s emotions in boys and men. Further studies in the field should address other populations.

Zusammenfassung

Hintergrund

In früheren Studien wurde eine starke Korrelation von emotionaler Intelligenz (EI) und psychischer Gesundheit sowie Wohlbefinden nachgewiesen; sie ist auch ein starker Prädiktor für soziales Funktionieren und persönliche Anpassungsfähigkeit. Resilienz ist die Fähigkeit, sich an bedeutende Stressfaktoren im Leben anzupassen, sie ist für die Erhaltung und Wiedererlangung körperlicher und psychischer Gesundheit entscheidend. Ziel der vorliegenden Studie war es, EI und Resilienz bei gesunden Universitätsstudierenden zu untersuchen, dabei liegt ein Schwerpunkt auf Geschlechtsunterschieden in Bezug auf Komponenten der EI und Resilienz.

Material und Methoden

Dazu wurden 277 Datensätze ausgewertet, die über einen Online-Fragebogen erhoben worden waren. Der Fragebogen umfasste die Self-Report Emotional Ability Scale (SEAS), die von Freudenthaler und Neubauer zur Ermittlung von Facetten der EI als Eigenschaft entwickelt worden war, und die Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC).

Ergebnisse

Hinsichtlich der EI als Eigenschaft wiesen Frauen signifikant höhere Werte als Männer im Gesamtscore für interpersonale emotionale Fähigkeiten und in der Subskala „Wahrnehmung der Emotionen anderer“ auf. Männer erzielten signifikant höhere Gesamtwerte für intrapersonale emotionsbezogene Fähigkeiten als Frauen und in den Subskalen „Regulation der eigenen Emotionen“ und „Kontrolle über den Ausdruck eigener Emotionen“. Bei der Resilienz waren die Werte der weiblichen Studierenden in den CD-RISC-Subskalen „persönliche Kompetenz und Hartnäckigkeit“, „Kontrolle“ und „spiritueller Einfluss“ signifikant höher. Der Summenwert für EI als intrapersonale Eigenschaft (SEAS) zeigte eine signifikante positive Korrelation mit den Gesamtscores der CD-RISC (rs = 0,445; p < 0,001). Es bestanden auch positive Korrelationen zwischen dem Summenwert für EI als interpersonale Eigenschaft und dem CD-RISC-Gesamtscore (rs = 0,438; p < 0,001).

Schlussfolgerung

Die Ergebnisse sprechen für Geschlechtsunterschiede bei bestimmten Facetten von EI als Eigenschaft und von Resilienz, und es wurde eine Wechselwirkung zwischen den beiden psychologischen Konstrukten unabhängig vom Geschlecht nachgewiesen. Zur Prävention psychischer Erkrankungen und zur Förderung des Wohlbefindens könnte es hilfreich sein, den Schwerpunkt auf die Verbesserung der Selbstwahrnehmung von Mädchen und Frauen zu legen und auf die Unterstützung emotionaler Bewusstheit hinsichtlich der Emotionen anderer Menschen bei Jungen und Männern. Weitere Studien in diesem Bereich sollten andere Bevölkerungsgruppen einbeziehen.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry 1, Medical University of Innsbruck, Christoph-Probst-Platz 1, Innrain 52, 6020, Innsbruck, Austria

    Patricia Sojer, Susanne Kainbacher, Georg Kemmler & Eberhard A. Deisenhammer

  2. Department of Psychiatry 2, Medical University of Innsbruck, Christoph-Probst-Platz 1, Innrain 52, 6020, Innsbruck, Austria

    Katharina Hüfner & Eberhard A. Deisenhammer

  3. Anichstraße 35, 6020, Innsbruck, Austria

    Patricia Sojer

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Contributions

P. Sojer: wrote the manuscript and was involved in data analysis; S. Kainbacher: developed the online procedure and recruited the study participants; K. Hüfner: critically reviewed manuscript drafts; G. Kemmler: performed the statistical analyses; E.A. Deisenhammer: planned and designed the study and supervised the study procedure.

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Correspondence to Patricia Sojer.

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Conflict of interest

P. Sojer, S. Kainbacher, K. Hüfner, G. Kemmler and E.A. Deisenhammer declare that they have no competing interests.

Ethical standards

The study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Medical University of Innsbruck (approval number: 1257/2020). Study procedures were explained in the contact mail providing access to an internet questionnaire specially generated for this study. Informed consent was given by clicking on a button on the introduction page.

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Sojer, P., Kainbacher, S., Hüfner, K. et al. Trait emotional intelligence and resilience: gender differences among university students. Neuropsychiatr 38, 39–46 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40211-023-00484-x

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