ANALYSIS OF PREDICTORS OF ANXIOUS, DEPRESSIVE AND STRESS SYMPTOMS: EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE AND COPING

Abstract

Introduction: Emotional Intelligence (EI), coping strategies and age seem to play an important role in the appearance of anxious, depressive and stress symptoms, all of which are symptoms with a high prevalence and repercussion in Spain. This is why these variables become key aspects to consider in relation to mental health. Therefore, the aim of this study is to test whether EI skills, coping and age are significant predictors of psychopathology. Methods: 256 Spaniards aged 18 to 83 years old (M = 39,37; SD = 12,37), from which 74.60% were women participated in the study and were assessed on anxious, depressive and stress symptoms (DASS-21), EI (TMMS-24) and coping (CAE). Pearson correlations and hierarchical regression models (HRM) were carried out. Results: The younger participants, who presented higher levels of attention and emotional expression, lower levels of clarity and negative autofocalization presented a higher probability of having symptoms of anxiety and stress. Meanwhile, high scores in emotional attention and in autofocalization, and low scores in clarity increased the probability of depression. Conclusions: We point to the relevance of EI and emotion-oriented coping in relation to psychopathology, which results to be a valious data when it comes to designing interventions to prevent or reduce mental health problems.