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The Moderator Role of Perceived Emotional Intelligence in the Relationship between Sources of Stress and Mental Health in Teachers

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 March 2016

Manuel Pulido-Martos ,
Esther Lopez-Zafra ,
Fernando Estévez-López  and
José María Augusto-Landa
Manuel Pulido-Martos*
Affiliation:
Universidad de Jaén (Spain)
Esther Lopez-Zafra
Affiliation:
Universidad de Jaén (Spain)
Fernando Estévez-López
Affiliation:
Universidad de Granada (Spain)
José María Augusto-Landa
Affiliation:
Universidad de Jaén (Spain)
*
*Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Manuel Pulido-Martos. Universidad de Jaén. Department of Psychology. Jaén (Spain). E-mail: mpulido@ujaen.es
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Abstract

This study analyzes the role of Perceived Emotional Intelligence (PEI) on sources of job stress and mental health in 250 elementary school teachers from Jaén (Spain). The aim of the study was two-fold: (1) to analyze the associations between Perceived Emotional Intelligence (PEI), sources of occupational stress and mental health; and (2) to determine whether PEI moderates the relationship between sources of occupational stress and mental health. An initial sample of 250 teachers was assessed Three questionnaires, the Trait Meta-Mood Scale, the Sources of Stress Scale in Teachers and the Medical Outcomes Study 36-item Short Form Health Survey, were used to evaluate PEI, sources of occupational stress and mental health, respectively. Teachers with higher levels of emotional attention reported lower levels of mental health (r = –.30; p < .001), while teachers showing high emotional clarity reported better emotional role (r = .14; p < .05) and social functioning (r = .15; p < .05). Moreover, PEI components moderate the relationship between sources of occupational stress and emotional role. Specifically, each significant interaction (i.e., deficiencies x attention, adaptation x attention, and adaptation x clarity) made a small and unique contribution in the explanation of emotional role (all p < .05, all sr2 ∼ .02). Finally, our results imply that PEI is an important moderator of teachers´ occupational stressors on mental health.

Keywords

emotional intelligencemental healthoccupational stresselementary school teachers
Type
Research Article
Information
The Spanish Journal of Psychology , Volume 19 , 2016 , E7
Copyright
Copyright © Universidad Complutense de Madrid and Colegio Oficial de Psicólogos de Madrid 2016 

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