Estilos de apego e inteligencia emocional de los Educadores Sociales de Centros de Menores: su relación con el compromiso laboral

Abstract

The working environment of social educators working at youth centres is highly complex, with an additional challenge being the fact that the children under their care are often presented with a number of challenges. Certain variables related with affective development and emotional competencies are crucial for effective management of social work. The present research explores the relationships between attachment styles, emotional intelligence and work engagement among social educators working at youth centres catering to minors at risk of social exclusion in Andalusia. Present findings revealed significant patterns of association between attachment styles formed during childhood and emotional intelligence in educators working with such minors. It was observed that educators reporting secure attachments perceived themselves as to have a high ability to manage their emotions, whilst those reporting insecure attachments perceived themselves to have less ability. Secure attachment styles did not directly impact levels of work engagement. In contrast, professionals who perceived themselves as having a high ability to intelligently regulate their emotions showed higher engagement in terms of their job functions. Present findings suggest that the relationship of emotional intelligence with attachment and work engagement, plays a crucial role in determining levels of energy, enthusiasm and dedication exhibited by social educators in contexts of care provision for children at risk of social exclusion. This has important implications for the design of socioemotional interventions and support programs in social care provision at youth centres.