Practice of physical activity its association with violence, emotional intelligence, and self-concept development in undergraduates

Abstract

Nowadays, physical activity is known to have a positive influence on both physical and mental health. Therefore, this study aims at shedding light on the extent to which emotional intelligence and self-concept may be useful to reduce violent behaviours in Spanish sportspeople. A cross-sectional study was conducted on a sample consisted of 457 undergraduates (23.86 ± 12.24), who were studying different degrees in University of Granada. Instruments used were a demographic questionnaire, the Spanish version of the Self-Concept Form 5, the Spanish version of the School Violence Scale, and the Spanish version of the Schutte Self-Report Inventory (SSRI). Results reveal that nearly all of the sample regularly practised physical activity; moreover, the highest-rated dimension were Self-Emotional management as regards emotional intelligence, Pure Relational Aggression as for the type of violence, and academic with regards to self-concept. Lastly, there was a negative correlation between general emotional intelligence and all types of violence, as well as between all the types of violence and academic self-concept