Associations between emotional intelligence and adolescent risky sexual behavior

Abstract

Risky sexual behavior of young people have a number of adverse consequences in the health, psychological and social dimension. Therefore, it is extremely important to undertake actions promoting proper sexual behaviors among young people and more conscious and responsible attitudes towards this sphere of life. In order for the introduced educational and preventive actions to be effective, it is necessary to precisely recognize the factors protecting from risky sexual behavior and the factors increasing the risk of such behaviors.  The paper attempts to answer the question about the role of emotional intelligence of adolescents as a protective factor against risky sexual behavior. The first part outlines the problem of risky sexual behavior of adolescents - its types, sources and consequences. Next, the most important models of emotional intelligence are presented, and its relation to the effectiveness of functioning on different levels of life is discussed. Finally, the article describes the relations between emotional intelligence of adolescents and the tendency to engage in risky sexual behavior, referring to both psychological theories and empirical data.