Ciarrochi, J., Chan, A. Y. C., & Bajgar, J. (2001). Measuring emotional intelligence in adolescents. Personality and Individual Differences, 31(7), 1105–1119. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0191-8869(00)00207-5
In plain language
Can emotional intelligence be measured reliably in teenagers? At the time, most work on emotional intelligence had focused on adults, and it was unclear whether a self-report questionnaire could capture it meaningfully in younger people. This study — among the first to test the idea in adolescents — showed that it can. One hundred and thirty-one students aged 13 to 15 completed a self-report emotional intelligence scale along with several other measures.
The results showed that emotional intelligence, as measured this way, was a distinct and useful construct in adolescents — not just a restatement of self-esteem or low anxiety. Teenagers who scored higher were better at reading emotional expressions, had more social support, were more satisfied with that support, and managed their moods more actively. Importantly, these links held up even after accounting for self-esteem and trait anxiety, suggesting the measure was tapping something of its own.
Key findings
- Emotional intelligence could be reliably measured in 13–15-year-olds using a self-report scale.
- Scores were higher for girls than boys.
- Higher emotional intelligence was linked to greater skill at identifying emotional expressions.
- It was associated with more social support and greater satisfaction with that support.
- It predicted more active mood-management behaviour.
- These relationships remained after controlling for self-esteem and trait anxiety — evidence the measure is distinctive, not redundant.
How to cite
APA
Ciarrochi, J., Chan, A. Y. C., & Bajgar, J. (2001). Measuring emotional intelligence in adolescents. Personality and Individual Differences, 31(7), 1105–1119. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0191-8869(00)00207-5
BibTeX
@article{ciarrochi2001measuring,
title = {Measuring emotional intelligence in adolescents},
author = {Ciarrochi, Joseph and Chan, Amy Y. C. and Bajgar, Jane},
journal = {Personality and Individual Differences},
volume = {31},
number = {7},
pages = {1105--1119},
year = {2001},
doi = {10.1016/S0191-8869(00)00207-5}
}
Related work
- All publications by Joseph Ciarrochi (searchable, with free PDFs)
- Process-Based Therapy & Idionomic Analysis