Hostname: page-component-54dcc4c588-9xpg2 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-09-23T18:10:00.353Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Emotional intelligence intervention in older adults to improve adaptation and reduce negative mood

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 November 2020

Iraida Delhom Open the ORCID record for Iraida Delhom [Opens in a new window] ,
Encarnación Satorres Open the ORCID record for Encarnación Satorres [Opens in a new window]  and
Juan C. Meléndez Open the ORCID record for Juan C. Meléndez [Opens in a new window]
Iraida Delhom*
Affiliation:
Universidad Internacional de Valencia (Spain), Pintor Sorolla, 21, Valencia, 46002, Spain
Encarnación Satorres
Affiliation:
Department of Developmental Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Valencia (Spain), Av. Blasco Ibañez 21, Valencia, ES 46010, Spain
Juan C. Meléndez
Affiliation:
Department of Developmental Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Valencia (Spain), Av. Blasco Ibañez 21, Valencia, ES 46010, Spain
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: Iraida Delhom, Universidad Internacional de Valencia (Spain), Pintor Sorolla, 21, Valencia, 46002, Spain. Phone: +34 962825981. Email: idelhom@universidadviu.com.
Get access

Abstract

Objectives:

Emotional intelligence (EI) is a strong predictor of negative mood. Applying emotional skills correctly can help to increase positive emotional states and reduce negative ones. This study aims to implement EI intervention designed to improve clarity, repair EI dimensions and coping strategies, and reduce negative mood in older adults.

Design:

Participants were randomly assigned to the treatment or control group.

Setting:

Participants were evaluated individually before and after the intervention.

Participants:

Participants included 111 healthy older adults; 51 in the treatment group and 60 in the control group.

Intervention:

An EI program was implemented. The program was administered over 10 sessions lasting 90 min each.

Measurements:

EI dimension (attention, clarity, and repair), coping strategies, hopelessness, and mood were assessed.

Results:

Analysis of variance for repeated measures was applied. In the treatment group, scores on clarity and emotional repair increased and attention to emotions decreased; problem-focused coping (problem-solving, positive reappraisal, and seeking social support) showed significant increases, whereas emotion-focused coping (negative self-focused and overt emotional expression) obtained significant decreases; scores on negative mood measures declined significantly.

Conclusions:

An intervention based on EI is effective in older adults. After the EI intervention, the participants showed significant increases in their levels of clarity and emotional repair and intermediate levels of attention. In addition, the intervention was found to influence adaptation results, increasing the use of adaptive coping strategies and decreasing the use of maladaptive strategies, as well as reducing hopelessness and depressive symptoms.

Keywords

older adultspsychosocial interventionsdepressionquality of life

Information

Type
Original Research Article
Information
International Psychogeriatrics , Volume 34 , Special Issue 1: Issue Theme: Varied Angles of Geriatric Depression , January 2022 , pp. 79 - 89
Copyright
© International Psychogeriatric Association 2020

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Article purchase

Temporarily unavailable

References

Beck, A. T., Weissman, A., Lester, D. and Trexler, L. (1974). The measurement of pessimism: the hopelessness scale. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 42, 861–865. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0037562 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cabello, R., Sorrel, M. A., Fernández-Pinto, I., Extremera, N. and Fernández-Berrocal, P. (2016). Age and gender differences in ability emotional intelligence in adults: a cross-sectional study. Developmental Psychology, 52, 1486. https://doi.org/10.1037/dev0000191 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cha, C. B. and Nock, M. K. (2009). Emotional intelligence is a protective factor for suicidal behavior. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 48, 422–430. https://doi.org/10.1097/CHI.0b013e3181984f44 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Chen, Y., Peng, Y. and Fang, P. (2016). Emotional intelligence mediates the relationship between age and subjective well-being. The International Journal of Aging and Human Development, 83, 91–107. https://doi.org/10.1177/0091415016648705 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Delhom, I., Gutierrez, M., Lucas-Molina, B. and Meléndez, J. C. (2017). Emotional intelligence in older adults: psychometric properties of the TMMS-24 and relationship with psychological well-being and life satisfaction. International Psychogeriatrics, 29, 1327–1334. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1041610217000722 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Delhom, I., Gutierrez, M., Mayordomo, T. and Melendez, J. C. (2018). Does emotional intelligence predict depressed mood? A structural equation model with elderly people. Journal of Happiness Studies, 19, 1713–1726. https://doi.org/10.1007/s1090 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fernández-Berrocal, P. and Extremera, N. (2006). Emotional intelligence and emotional reactivity and recovery in laboratory context. Psicothema, 18, 72–78.Google ScholarPubMed
Folstein, M. F., Folstein, S. E. and McHugh, P. R. (1975). Mini mental state. A practical method for grading the cognitive state of patients for the clinician. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 12, 189–198. https://doi.org/10.1016/0022-3956(75)90026-6 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gómez-Romero, M. J., Limonero, J. T., Trallero, J. T., Montes-Hidalgo, J. and Tomás-Sábado, J. (2018). Relationship between emotional intelligence, negative affect and suicidal risk in university students. Ansiedad y Estrés, 24, 18–23. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anyes.2017.10.007 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hodzic, S., Scharfen, J., Ripoll, P., Holling, H. and Zenasni, F. (2018). How efficient are emotional intelligence trainings: a meta-analysis. Emotion Review, 10, 138–148. https://doi.org/10.1177/1754073917708613 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Joseph, D. L. and Newman, D. A. (2010). Emotional intelligence: an integrative meta-analysis and cascading model. Journal of Applied Psychology, 95, 54–78. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0017286 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Keefer, K. V., Parker, J. D. and Saklofske, D. H. (2009). Emotional intelligence and physical health. In: Parker, J., Saklofske, D. and Stough, C. (Eds.), Assessing Emotional Intelligence. The Springer Series on Human Exceptionality (pp. 191–218). Boston: Springer.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kong, F., Gong, X., Sajjad, S., Yang, K. and Zhao, J. (2019). How is emotional intelligence linked to life satisfaction? The mediating role of social support, positive affect and negative affect. Journal of Happiness Studies, 20, 2733–2745. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-018-00069-4 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kotsou, I., Nelis, D., Grégoire, J. and Mikolajczak, M. (2011). Emotional plasticity: conditions and effects of improving emotional competence in adulthood. Journal of Applied Psychology, 96, 827–836. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0023047 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lazarus, R. S. and Folkman, S. (1984). Stress Appraisal and Coping. New York: Springer.Google Scholar
Lloyd, S. J., Malek-Ahmadi, M., Barclay, K., Fernandez, M. R. and Chartrand, M. S. (2012). Emotional intelligence (EI) as a predictor of depression status in older adults. Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics, 55, 570–573. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.archger.2012.06.004 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Luque-Reca, O., Augusto-Landa, J. M. and Pulido-Martos, M. (2016). Emotional intelligence and depressive symptoms in Spanish institutionalized elders: does emotional self-efficacy act as a mediator? PeerJ, 4, e2246. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.2246 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mayer, J. D. and Salovey, P. (1997). What is emotional intelligence? In: Salovey, P. and Sluyter, D. (Eds.), Emotional Development and Emotional Intelligence: Implications for Educators (pp 3–31). New York: Basic Books.Google Scholar
Mayordomo, T., Viguer, P., Sales, A., Satorres, E. and Meléndez, J. C. (2016). Resilience and coping as predictors of well-being in adults. The Journal of Psychology, 150, 809–821. https://doi.org/10.1080/00223980.2016.1203276 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mikolajczak, M. and Luminet, O. (2008). Trait emotional intelligence and the cognitive appraisal of stressful events: an exploratory study. Personality and Individual Differences, 44, 1445–1453. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2007.12.012 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nelis, D., Kotsou, I., Quoidbach, J., Hansenne, M., Weytens, F., Dupuis, P. and Mikolajczak, M. (2011). Increasing emotional competence improves psychological and physical well-being, social relationships, and employability. Emotion, 11, 354–366. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0021554 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Nelis, D., Quoidbach, J., Mikolajczak, M. and Hansenne, M. (2009). Increasing emotional intelligence:(how) is it possible? Personality and Individual Differences, 47, 36–41. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2009.01.046 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pérez-Fuentes, M. C., Molero, M. M., Gázquez, J. J. and Soler, F. J. (2014). Estimulación de la inteligencia emocional en mayores: El programa PECI-PM [Stimulation of emotional intelligence in the elderly: the PECI-PM program]. European Journal of Investigation in Health, Psychology and Education, 4, 329–339. https://doi.org/10.1989/ejihpe.v4i3.80 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Petrides, K. V., Pérez-González, J. C. and Furnham, A. (2007). On the criterion and incremental validity of trait emotional intelligence. Cognition & Emotion, 21, 26–55. https://doi.org/10.1080/02699930601038912 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Radloff, L. S. (1977). The CES-D scale: a self-report depression scale for research in the general population. Applied Psychological Measurement, 1, 385–401. https://doi.org/10.1177/014662167700100306 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rey, L., Extremera, N. and Sánchez-Álvarez, N. (2017). Clarifying the links between perceived emotional intelligence and well-being in older people: pathways through perceived social support from family and friends. Applied Research in Quality of Life, 14, 221–235. https://doi.org/10.1007/s1148 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ros, L., Latorre, J. M., Aguilar, M. J., Serrano, J. P., Navarro, B. and Ricarte, J. J. (2011). Factor structure and psychometric properties of the center for epidemiologic studies depression scale (CES-D) in older populations with and without cognitive impairment. The International Journal of Aging and Human Development, 72, 83–110. https://doi.org/10.2190/AG.72.2.a CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ros, L. et al. (2016). Reminiscence functions scale: factorial structure and its relation with mental health in a sample of Spanish older adults. International Psychogeriatrics, 28, 1521–1532. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1041610216000326 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rubio, L., Dumitrache, C. G., García, A. J. and Cordón-Pozo, E. (2018). Coping strategies in Spanish older adults: a MIMIC model of socio-demographic characteristics and activity level. Aging & Mental Health, 22, 226–232. https://doi.org/10.1080/13607863.2016.1247416 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Saklofske, D. H., Austin, E. J., Galloway, J. and Davidson, K. (2007). Individual difference correlates of health-related behaviours: preliminary evidence for links between emotional intelligence and coping. Personality and Individual Differences, 42, 491–502. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2006.08.006 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Salguero, J. M., Extremera, N., Cabello, R. and Fernández-Berrocal, P. (2015). If you have high emotional intelligence (EI), you must trust in your abilities: the interaction effect of ability EI and perceived EI on depression in women. Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment, 33, 46–56. https://doi.org/10.1177/0734282914550384 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Salovey, P., Bedell, B. T., Detweiler, J. B. and Mayer, J. D. (1999). Coping intelligently: emotional intelligence and the coping process. In: Snyder, C. R. (Ed.), Coping: The Psychology of What Works (pp 141–164). New York: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Salovey, P. and Mayer, J. D. (1990). Emotional intelligence. Imagination, Cognition Personality, 9, 185–211.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Salovey, P., Mayer, J. D., Goldman, S. L., Turvey, C. and Palfai, T. P. (1995). Emotional attention, clarity, and repair: Exploring emotional intelligence using the trait meta-mood scale. In: Pennebaker, J. W. (Ed.), Emotion, Disclosure, & Health (pp 125–154). Washington: American Psychological Association.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sánchez-Álvarez, N., Extremera, N. and Fernández-Berrocal, P. (2015). Maintaining life satisfaction in adolescence: affective mediators of the influence of perceived emotional intelligence on overall life satisfaction judgments in a two-year longitudinal study. Frontiers in Psychology, 6, 1892–1901. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01892 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sánchez-Álvarez, N., Extremera, N. and Fernández-Berrocal, P. (2016). The relation between emotional intelligence and subjective well-being: a meta-analytic investigation. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 11, 276–285. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2015.1058968 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sandín, B. and Chorot, P. (2003). The coping strategies questionnaire: development and preliminary validation. Revista de Psicopatología y Psicología Clínica, 8, 39–54. https://doi.org/10.5944/rppc.vol.8.num.1.2003.3941 Google Scholar
Satorres, E., Ros, L., Meléndez, J. C., Serrano, J. P., Latorre, J. M. and Sales, A. (2018). Measuring elderly people’s quality of life through the Beck Hopelessness Scale: a study with a Spanish sample. Aging & Mental Health, 22, 239–244. https://doi.org/10.1080/13607863.2016.1247427 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Scheibe, S. and Zacher, H. (2013). A lifespan perspective on emotion regulation, stress, and well-being in the workplace. In: Perrewé, P. L., Rosen, C. C. and Halbesleben, J. R. B. (Eds.), The Role of Emotion and Emotion Regulation in Job Stress and Well-Being (pp 163–193). Bingley: Emerald Group Publishing Limited.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schutte, N. S., Malouff, J. M. and Thorsteinsson, E. B. (2013). Increasing emotional intelligence through training: current status and future directions. International Journal of Emotional Education, 5, 56–72.Google Scholar
Sibalija, J., Savundranayagam, M. Y., Orange, J. B. and Kloseck, M. (2020). Social support, social participation, & depression among caregivers and non-caregivers in Canada: a population health perspective. Aging & Mental Health, 24, 765–773. https://doi.org/10.1080/13607863.2018.1544223 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Tomás, J. M., Sancho, P. and Meléndez, J. C. (2013). Validación del cuestionario de afrontamiento del estrés (CAE) para su uso en población mayor española [Validation of the stress coping questionnaire (CAE) for use in the elderly Spanish population]. Psicología Conductual, 21, 103–123.Google Scholar
Venkatesh, S. and Fischer, C. E. (2019). Cognitive factors associated with emotional intelligence. International Psychogeriatrics, 31, 1229–1231. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1041610219000917P CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Weaving, J., Orgeta, V., Orrell, M. and Petrides, K. V. (2014). Predicting anxiety in carers of people with dementia: the role of trait emotional intelligence. International Psychogeriatrics, 26, 1201–1209. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1041610214000404 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Zeidner, M., Matthews, G. and Roberts, R. D. (2012). The emotional intelligence, health, and well-being nexus: what have we learned and what have we missed? Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being, 4, 1–30. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1758-0854.2011.01062.x Google ScholarPubMed
Zeidner, M., Matthews, G. and Shemesh, D. O. (2016). Cognitive-social sources of wellbeing: differentiating the roles of coping style, social support and emotional intelligence. Journal of Happiness Studies, 17, 2481–2501. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-015-9703-z CrossRefGoogle Scholar