Emotional intelligence and strategies for dealing with displaced women victims of the armed conflict

Abstract

Colombia is one of most affected country by the forced displacement scourge, which has its main impact upon women's and children's life. The aim of this study is to establish the relationship between emotional intelligence and coping strategies in displaced women. In order to verify such relationship, the TMMS-24 and CRI-A instruments were used, applied to 151 women from La Jagua de Ibirico municipality, with an average age of 35.6 (SD = 13.39). The results show a positive association of clarity and emotional repair with adequate coping strategies, and, though unexpectedly, also a negative association with maladaptive strategies. Good levels of clarity and repair were found in general, and a fair level of emotional attention. Although a little more than half of the participants use approaching strategies, a significant proportion of participants was observed using acceptance/resignation. In conclusion, displaced women do not show a specific trend towards a coping strategy, but do show adequate levels of emotional intelligence. The results are compared with previous research, and future directions are proposed.