Emotional intelligence: an exploration of the construct in adolescents

Emotional intelligence is an emerging psychological construct with varying definitions, measures, and applications. According to the ability model of emotional intelligence, the construct can be defined as the set of abilities that explain how we perceive, understand, and express our emotions and those of others. Research with adults shows preliminary evidence for the discriminant validity of the construct from general intelligence, personality, and well-being and positive affect, but little research has been conducted which critically examines the construct amongst adolescents. This study explored the construct with adolescents by testing the discriminant validity of emotional intelligence scores with general intelligence, personality and well-being. The study involved adolescent students (N = 29) from a regional Australian high school aged 12 – 17 years (M = 14.5, SD = 1.2). The Shipley Institute of Living Scale (a measure of IQ), a new performance-based measure of emotional intelligence – the Mayer Salovey Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test: Youth Version (MSCEIT:YV), a 50-item pool of personality items related to the Big-Five Personality Factors as found on the International Personality Item Pool (IPIP) on the IPIP website, and, the Personal Wellbeing Index – School Children (PWI-SC) were administered in the above order. Surprisingly, no significant results were found for the multiple correlations between emotional intelligence and general intelligence, personality and well-being. However, the study had low power (Power = .38), and so the results should be interpreted with caution. To conclude, it would appear that emotional intelligence, as measured by the MSCEIT:YV, is independent and distinct from general intelligence, personality and well-being, which is in contrast to the adult research which shows a slight but definite overlap with these constructs and emotional intelligence

Understanding challenging behaviour in people with severe and profound intellectual disability: a stress-attachment model

Background. Advances in our knowledge of attachment, stress and coping may foster new explanations for the development of challenging behaviour in people with intellectual disability (ID). Method. Research on stress and coping among people with ID was reviewed initially, and then studies on the security of the attachment relationships of people with ID with their caregivers were analysed. Results. There is evidence that people with ID are more vulnerable to stress and use less effective coping strategies. Furthermore, the body of studies on attachment indicates that people with ID are at risk for developing insecure, especially disorganized attachment. There is evidence from other populations that the combination of stress, and insecure or disorganized attachment may put people at risk for developing behaviour problems. Conclusion. A stress-attachment model of the development of challenging behaviour among people with ID shows promise as an explanatory frame-work. The uncovering of these developmental mechanisms may be particularly useful for the prevention of behavioural problems

Attachment style, assertive communication, and safer-sex behavior

This research tested the proposition that the effect of attachment security on safer-sex practice may be mediated by communication patterns. One hundred eighty-five undergraduate students completed questionnaire measures of attachment, assertiveness, and attitudes to communication about AIDS. Eight weeks later, they reported on their practice of safer sex in the period since the first testing session. Hierarchical regressions showed that at Step 1, anxiety about relationships (a measure of insecure attachment) was associated with less safer-sex practice, for all outcome measures. Attitudes to communication about AIDS added to the prediction of general reports of safer-sex practice: in line with the mediational model, anxiety about relationships became unimportant as a predictor when communication variables were included. Communication variables failed to add to the prediction of safer sex on the most recent encounter, and both anxiety about relationships and attitudes to communication about AIDS predicted condom use. Some gender differences in patterns of prediction were noted. The results are discussed in terms of attachment style and its links with the negotiation of sexual practice and relationship issues

Conceptual principles of quality of life: an empirical exploration

[Structured summary]: Background: Quality of life is a popular measure of outcomes and its widespread use has led to recent calls for a better understanding of the construct, emphasising the need to build a substantial body of knowledge around what determines perceptions of life quality. Some conceptual principles are examined in this study. Method: Self-ratings of life quality and three likely determinants at an individual level (stress), an interactional level (social support) and a community level (neighbourhood belonging) were used. Two groups of young adults from an urban community participated, one identified as having an intellectual disability. Results: Young adults with intellectual disability rated their satisfaction with health significantly higher and intimacy and community involvement lower than the comparison group. Social support emerged as the strongest predictor of life satisfaction across both groups. Conclusion: The conceptual principles of subjective quality of life provide a useful framework to discuss findings and to stimulate further research

A preliminary study of perceived stress in adults with intellectual disabilities according to self-report and informant ratings

Background. Stress is a major risk factor for mental health problems in individuals with intellectual disabilities, but few studies on stress have been conducted that take both the perspective of the person with the disability and the caregiver into account. The present study evaluated an informant version of the Lifestress Inventory, and compared it to the self-report version. Method. Seventy pairs of individuals with intellectual disability and their caregivers completed the Lifestress Inventory, the Inventory of Negative Social Interactions and the Birleson Depression Scale. Results. Informant and self-report ratings on the Lifestress Inventory were internally reliable, showed modest agreement with each other and correlated with the negative Social Interactions and Depression measures. The most troublesome stressors reported by informants and self-reports differed, however, and families tended to agree more with self-reports than staff informants. Conclusions. The informant version of the Lifestress Inventory is a suitable parallel instrument but not a replacement for self reports

Analysis of textural attachment preferences of Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC27853 to blast furnace slag using confocal microscopy

Poster presentatio

Determinants of subjective quality of life among rural adolescents: a developmental perspective

This study examines youths' experiences of loneliness and community connectedness in relation to seven domains of subjective quality of life among pre-adolescents, early adolescents, and middle adolescents. Participants consisted of 464 youth, ranging in age from 11 to 17 years, from two rural towns. Youth reported on their subjective experiences of loneliness and their perceptions of their community environments (neighbourhood and school). Hierarchical regressions indicated the importance of loneliness in accounting for subjective quality of life for early adolescents, and less so for middle and pre-adolescents. Community factors significantly accounted for additional variance in pre-adolescents' reports of their quality of life, compared with early and middle adolescents' reports. Discussion highlights the importance of understanding the determinants of quality of life from an individual, community, and developmental perspective

Analysis of textural attachment preferences of Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC27853 to blast furnace slag using confocal microscopy

Poster presentation</p

Sense of place amongst adolescents and adults in two rural Australian towns: the discriminating features of place attachment, sense of community and place dependence in relation to place identity

This study investigates whether dimensions of sense of place can discriminate those residents who identify with their rural town, and prefer to stay, from those who do not, and whether patterns of association between these dimensions differ between adolescent and adult residents. Participants were 246 adults and 365 adolescents in two remote rural towns in Australia. Place identity was determined from residents’ responses on a single item, ‘I would really rather live in a different town. This one is not the place for me.’ Three groups were classified: those agreeing, undecided and disagreeing with the statement. Discriminating variables were place attachment (emotional bonding and behavioural commitment), sense of community (affiliation and belonging) and place dependence (available activities, quality and quality comparison with alternative communities). A direct discriminant function analysis showed 76.4 per cent of adults were correctly classified from one discriminant function accounting for 92 per cent of the variance. Indicators of dependence, belonging, behavioural commitment and emotional bonding, loaded above 0.45. Sixty-two per cent of adolescents were correctly classified from one discriminant function accounting for 93.6 per cent of the variance. Indicators of dependence and belonging loaded 0.45 and above. Discussion considers distinguishing dimensions of sense of place and identifying associations amongst them as ways to explore the experience of community in everyday life