Teens who received emotional intelligence
training in school had improved scores on several measures of emotional well-being,
including less anxiety, depression and social stress, according to a new study
in the Journal of Adolescent Health. Improvements from the training lasted up
to six months after the program ended.
Emotional
intelligence, or EI, refers to the ability to accurately appraise, express and
regulate emotion.
“The
ability to handle emotions is essential for one’s physical and psychological
well-being,” said study lead author Desiree Ruiz-Aranda. In addition,
adolescents who are healthier mentally are healthier physically and may engage
in fewer risky behaviors.
“Emotional
abilities need to begin as early as possible and preventive interventions
should ideally be provided prior to developing significant symptoms,” said
Ruiz-Aranda.
The
study examined about 300 Spanish students who participated in 24 one-hour
training sessions during a two-year period.
Teens
in the study group participated in games, role-playing, art and discussion
designed to promote the recognition of emotions in different contexts and to
build empathy and emotional problem solving.
When
compared with a control group, these teens had lower measures of depression, social stress, and
other negative feelings, even up to six months later.
Successful
programs need to be catered to individual cultures and ages and be applied to
everyday settings, Ruiz-Aranda said.
Schools
have not done well in preparing students for life with things such as emotional intelligence
training, said Gary Low, Ph.D., professor emeritus of education at Texas
A&M University in Kingsville. He added that schools often don’t help
students learn to cope with fears, stresses, relationships and other areas of
life.
“We
just hope that people learn that as they grow older, and I think we’ve not paid
attention to developing a curriculum that would really help young people
experience more success in life,” he said.
More information: Ruiz-Aranda, D., et al. (2012). Short- and midterm effects of
emotional intelligence training on adolescent mental health. Journal of
Adolescent Health. doi: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2012.02.003.
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