Research to date has identified various risk factors in the emergence of depressive
disorders in adolescence. There are very few studies, however, which have analyzed the
role of perceived emotional intelligence in depressive symptoms longitudinally during
adolescence. This work aimed to analyze longitudinal relationships between perceived
emotional intelligence and depressive symptoms in adolescence, developing an
explanatory model of depression following a one-year follow-up. A longitudinal study
was carried out with two waves separated by one year, with a sample of 714 Spanish
adolescents. The instruments consisted of self-report measures of depressive symptoms
and perceived emotional intelligence. Results underlined gender differences in
depressive symptoms and emotional intelligence, and indicated that greater emotional
intelligence was associated with a lower presence of depressive symptoms after a one year follow-up. A multiple partial mediation model was developed to
explain longitudinally depressive symptoms based on perceived emotional intelligence
skills and depressive symptoms. These contributions underscore the need to design
programs to prevent depression in adolescence through the promotion of emotional
intelligence.peer-reviewe
