¿Qué Aporta la Inteligencia Emocional al Estudio de los Factores Personales Protectores del Consumo de Alcohol en la Adolescencia?

Abstract

A lot of public bodies have warned against an increase in alcohol intake and its extended use among adolescents. Some studies have revealed the relevance of emotional intelligence (EI) as a novel construct that may be useful in explaining this problem. The objective of this study is to analyze the contribution of trait and ability EI to the understanding of alcohol consumption with respect to other personal protective factors such as self-esteem, self-efficacy, and assertiveness previously studied. A correlational and quantitative methodology was used on a sample of 799 students. The results suggest that the factors of emotional perception, emotional clarity, emotional repair, self-esteem, and assertiveness were significantly and inversely related to alcohol consumption behaviors, unlike the emotional attention component. These findings offer new empirical evidence that may assist in establishing preventive interventions targeting young people.