Psychometric Properties of the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire: Factor Structure, Reliability, Construct, and Incremental Validity in a French-Speaking Population

Figures & data

TABLE 1 Male and Female Univariate Statistics of TEIQue Subscales, Factors, and Global Score^a

		Minimum		Maximum		Males		Females			Skewness^b		Kurtoses^c		Cronbach's α
Subscale/Factor	Number of items	Males	Females	Males	Females	M	SD	M	SD	Effect size (r)	Males	Females	Males	Females	Males	Females
Self-Esteem	11	2.73	1.73	6.55	6.73	4.86	0.74	4.54	0.87***^d	−.19	−0.217	−0.279	−0.023	0.171	.79	.71
Emotion Expression	10	1.00	1.00	6.90	7.00	4.02	1.27	4.30	1.23**	.11	0.104	−0.241	−0.525	−0.537	.86	.89
Self-Motivation	10	2.20	2.10	6.90	6.90	4.70	0.83	4.67	0.80	−.02	−0.082	−0.175	0.041	0.137	.66	.74
Emotion Regulation	12	1.50	1.08	6.67	6.42	4.40	0.87	3.80	0.89***	−.32	−0.147	0.094	0.141	0.011	.77	.79
Happiness	8	1.25	1.00	7.00	7.00	5.47	1.16	5.55	1.15	.03	−1.205	−1.260	1.268	1.726	.91	.91
Empathy	9	2.44	2.22	6.89	6.89	4.78	0.89	4.91	0.76*	.08	−0.111	−0.203	0.035	0.101	.59	.73
Social Competence	11	2.36	2.36	6.73	6.55	4.85	0.81	4.74	0.80*	−.07	−0.212	−0.214	0.043	−0.468	.75	.75
Impulsiveness (low)	9	2.00	1.89	6.44	7.00	4.50	0.86	4.45	0.89	−.03	−0.147	−0.111	−0.319	−0.105	.66	.64
Emotion Perception	10	2.30	1.80	7.00	7.00	4.68	0.95	4.67	0.87	−.01	−0.073	−0.027	−0.480	−0.176	.74	.80
Stress Management	10	1.60	1.40	7.00	6.60	4.52	1.02	3.90	1.02***	−.29	−0.302	0.121	−0.114	−0.299	.77	.81
Emotion Management	9	2.44	1.67	6.89	6.56	4.83	0.86	4.52	0.87***	−.18	−0.334	−0.266	−0.121	−0.040	.72	.75
Optimism	8	1.63	1.13	7.00	7.00	4.86	1.03	4.80	1.10	−.03	−0.433	−0.525	0.038	0.096	.83	.81
Relationship Skills	9	3.22	2.56	7.00	7.00	5.46	0.72	5.64	0.78**	.12	−0.537	−0.730	0.378	0.535	.68	.59
Adaptability	9	2.22	1.44	6.78	6.78	4.55	0.81	4.26	0.85***	−.17	−0.116	−0.125	0.278	0.528	.69	.67
Asseriveness	9	2.22	1.00	6.44	7.00	4.70	0.92	4.41	0.97***	−.15	−0.265	−0.221	−0.577	−0.217	.75	.74
Well-Being	27	2.08	1.62	6.63	6.78	5.06	0.85	4.96	0.89	−.06	−0.892	−0.759	0.845	0.744	.91	.91
Self-Control	31	2.36	2.26	6.41	6.32	4.47	0.75	4.05	0.73***	−.27	−0.161	0.195	−0.067	0.068	.85	.87
Emotionality	38	2.91	2.79	6.59	6.49	4.74	0.73	4.88	0.64**	.10	0.173	−0.054	−0.213	−0.245	.86	.90
Sociability	29	2.86	2.47	6.48	6.34	4.80	0.72	4.56	0.72***	−.16	−0.212	−0.316	−0.063	−0.020	.86	.87
Global Trait El		3.05	3.06	6.12	6.20	4.75	0.56	4.61	0.53**	−.13	−0.007	−0.180	−0.051	−0.041	.94	.95
Note. TEIQue = Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire; EI = Emotional intelligence.
^a N = 740; 217 men, 512 women, 11 unknown. ^bStandard error of skewness estimations is .17 for men and .11 for women. ^cStandard error of kurtosis estimations is .33 for men and .22 for women. ^d Asterisks correspond to p values for gender differences t tests.&dollar;*p < .10. **p < .01. ***p < .001.

TABLE 2 Means, Standard Deviations, and Internal Consistencies for the Scales Examined

	N	Number of items	Cronbach's alphas	M	SD
Convergent/discriminant validity
Optimism	91	6	.82	19.84	4.81
Alexithymia	457	20	.79	47.25	10.17
Difficulty in identifying Feelings	403	7	.78	16.81	5.45
Difficulty in describing feelings	403	5	.776	13.96	4.65
Extermally oriented thinking	403	8	.43	16.28	3.95
Emotional stability	80	11	.84	38.62	8.24
Introversoin	80	11	.79	39.65	8.89
Openness	80	11	.74	45.61	6.27
Agreeableness	80	11	.71	48.24	5.58
Connscientiosness	80	11	.77	44.92	9.73
Cognitive ability (IQ)	109	36	—^a	24.20	4.37
Timed 30 min
Socialdesirability	131	33	.67	15.51	4.46
Criterion validity
Anxiety	82	20	.92	42.77	10.33
Depression	82	13	.85	4.63	4.60
Perceivedquantityofsocialsupport	93	6	.87	33.30	10.80
Family members	93	6	.93	13.23	10.81
Friends	93	6	.87	16.53	8.36
Perceivedqualityofsocialsupport	93	6	.88	30.91	3.93
Positiveaffectivity	306	10	.84	2.87	0.60
Negativeaffectivity	306	10	.82	1.42	0.47
Emotionalreactivity	187	30	.90	51.16	13.61^b
				72.39	21.35^c
^aAs Raven' s matrices fo increasing difficulty, calculating internal consistencies does not make sense. ^bMeasured in the neutral condition. ^cMeasured in the stressful condition.

TABLE 3 Factor Pattern Matrix for the TEIQue Subscales (Promax Principal Axis Factoring Four-Factor Solution)^a

Subscale	Well-Being	Sociability	Self-Control	Emotionality
Happiness	.99	−.07	−.15	−.01
Optimism	.86	−.04	−.07	−.12
Self-Motivation	.38	.07	.14	.24
Emotion Management (others)	−.18	.79	−.06	−.02
Assertiveness	.18	.69	.06	−.08
Social Competence	.02	.60	.07	.26
Self-Esteem	.33	.40	.11	.03
Emotion Control	−.19	.00	.92	.02
Stress Management	.14	.02	.76	−.10
Adaptability	.12	.15	.35	.04
Emotion Perception	−.13	.17	.00	.74
Emotion Expression	.05	.21	−.23	.58
Relationship Skills	.32	−.28	.00	.52
Empathy	−.11	.02	.08	.50
Impulsiveness (low)	.03	−.24	.35	.41
Note.    ^a N = 740. TEQue = Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire. Factor pattern matrix: Coefficients that should theoretically define each factor are in boldface.

TABLE 4 Factor Correlation Martix Between Belgian Factor Scores and English Factor Scores^a

	Well-Beings^b	Sociability^b	Self-Control^b	Emotionality^b
Well-Being^a	.997 [.982]
Sociability^a	.544	.995 [.991]
Self-Control^a	.650	.495	.987 [.964]
Emotionality^a	.519	.626	.350	.984 [.969]
Note.    N = 740. Coefficients in brackets [] refer to congruence coefficients between factor structure (pattern matrix) in Belgian and English data set (computed with Watkins's (2002b) Coefficient of Congruence program).
^aFactor scores derived from the Belgian factors corecoefficients. ^bFactor scores derived from the English factor score coefficients.

TABLE 5 Factor Correlation Matrix Between Theoretical Factors and Factor Scores From the Belgian Factor Analysis

Factor	Well-Being	Sociability	Self-Control	Emotionality
Well-Being	.974	.502	.606	.545
Sociability	.438	.973	.449	.624
Self-Control	.549	.376	.945	.432
Emotionality	.479	.507	.364	.941
Note.    N = 740. The lower diagonal corresponds to the correlations among the theoretical factors scores (data scored according to the theoretical factor structure); the upper diagonal corresponds to the correlations among the factors scores derived from Belgian factor scores coefficients. The diagonal (boldface) corresponds to the correlations between the two types of factor scores (theoretically and factorially derived).

TABLE 6 Comparison of Mean Trait EI Scores as a Function of the Professional Sector

Trait El Factor	Occupation(s) Having the Highest Mean Scores (+ M; SDs)	Occupation(s) Having the Lowest Mean Scores (+ M; SDs)	Differences Reaching Statistical Significance
Global Trait EI	—Social/healthcare (4.86; 0.63)—Finance (4.88; 0.37)	—Unemployed (4.52; 0.60)	Social healthcare vs. unemployed: t(75) = 2.06, p < .05, r effect size = .26 Financiersvs. unemploye: t(37) = 2.26, p < .05, r effect size = .34
Well-Being	—Financiers (5.36; 0.65)	—Unemployed (4.78; 1.10)	Financiers vs. unemployed: t(37) = 2.00, p < .055,r effect size =.31
Self-Control	—Social/healthcare (4.51; 0.82)—Finance (4.49; 0.81)	—Commerce (4.10; 0.83)—Unemployed (4.06; 1.00)	Social/healthcare vs. unemployed: t(75) = 1.97, p < .055, r effect size = .25 Social/healthcare vs. commerce: t(77) = 1.96, p < .055, r effect size = .24
Emotionality	—Social/healthcare (5.13; 0.66)—Commerce (5.13; 0.63)	—Public service (4.87; 0.73)—Finance (4.83; 0.50)	Social/healthcare vs. finance: t(43, 76) = 2.074, p < .05, r effect size = .23 Social/healthcare vs. public serice: t(112) = 1.95, p < .055, r effect size = .18
Sociability	—Commerce (5.11; 0.74)	—Unemployed (4.40; 0.74)	Commerce vs. unemployed; t(38) = 2.97, p < .005, r effect size = .43
Note. EI = emotional intelligence.

TABLE 7 Convergent, Discriminant, and Criterion Validity of the TEIQue

		Age
Variables	N	M	SD	Balance Females/males (%)	Total Trait EI	Well-Being	Self-Control	Emotionality	Sociability
Convergent/discriminant validity
Optimism	91	18.36	1.52	85/15	.68****	.81****	.48****	.36****	.36****
Alexithymia	457	19.53	2.04	77/23	−.60****	−.36****	−.32****	−.66****	−.39****
F1: DIF	403	19.26	1.90	80/20	−.55****	−.41****	−.44****	−.43****	−.33****
F2: DDF	403	19.26	1.90	80/20	−.49****	−.29****	−.15***	−.67****	−.34****
F3: EOT	403	19.26	1.90	80/202	−.22****	−.07	−.02	−.30****	−.25****
Emotional Stability	80	18.57	1.00	77/23	.42****	.35****	.66****	.01	.15
Introversion	80	18.57	1.00	77/23	−.17	−.24**	−.27**	−.16	−.38****
Openness	80	18.57	1.00	77/23	.41****	.34***	.01	.31***	.43****
Agreeability	80	18.57	1.00	77/23	.47****	.48****	.33***	.26**	.15
Conscientiousness	80	18.57	1.00	77/23	.41****	.19*	.31***	.40****	.28**
Cognitive Ability	109	19.73	2.20	87/13	.04	.05	.13	.04	.00
Social Disirability	131	19.43	1.98	68/32	.44****	.32****	.46****	.23***	.12
Criterion validity
Anxiety	82	18.68	1.03	78/22	−.74****	−.72****	−.59****	−.30***	−.45****
Depression	82	18.68	1.03	78/22	−.55****	−.67****	−.31***	−.28**	−.24**
PQuantSS	93	18.36	1.52	85/15	.23**	.34****	.01	.25**	.09
PQualSS	93	18.36	1.52	85/15	.39****	.40****	.17*	.38****	.22**
State positive affectivity	306	20.01	1.90	67/33	.25****	.30****	.12**	.10*	.15***
State negative affectivity	306	20.01	1.90	67/33	−.37****	−.33****	−.37****	−.23****	−.12**
Emotional reactivity (N)	91	19.42	1.96	48/52	−.26**	−.25**	−.30***	−.11	−.09
Emotional reactivity (S)	96	20.11	2.17	40/60	−.41****	−.33****	−.48****	−.15	−.24**
Note.     TEQue = Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire; F = Factor; DDF = difficulty in describing feelings; EOT = externally oriented thinking; N = sample size; PQuantSS = perceived quantity of social support; pQualSS = perceived quality of social support, (S) = measured in stressful conditions.
*p < .10. **p < .05. ***p < .01. ****p < .001.

TABLE 8 Hierarchical Regression Analyses Predicting Emotional Reactivity by Condition, Trait EI, and Their Interaction

EI Factor Considered	Criterion Variable	Hierarchical Order	Predictor Variable	R	F Change	Semipartial Correlations^a
Trait EI	ERI	1	Condition	.525	69.87****	−.56
		2	Trait EI	.601	24.78****	−.29
		3	Condition × Trait EI	.614	4.41**	.12
Well-being	ERI	1	Condition	.525	69.87****	−.55
		2	Well-being	.581	17.35****	−.25
		3	Condition × Well-Being	.589	2.57	.10
Self-control	ERI	1	Condition	.525	69.87****	−.55
		2	Self-Control	.621	32.84****	−.32
		3	Condition Self-Control	.633	4.64**	.12
Emotionality	ERI	1	Condition	.525	69.87****	−.53
		2	Emotionality	.538	3.63*	−.13
		3	Eoncition × Emotionality	.541	0.88	.06
Sociability	ERI	1	Condition	.525	69.87****	−.54
		2	Sociability	.552	7.70***	−.15
		3	Condition × Sociability	.558	1.91	.09
Note.    N = 185. EI = emotional Intelligence; ERI = Emotional Reactivity Index. ^aThese correlations are the semipartial correlations, controlling at each step for the effects of the two others.
*p < .10. **p < .05. ***p < .005. ****p < .001.

TABLE 9 Hierarchical Regression Analyses Testing the Incremental Validity of Trait EI Over Social Desirability, Agreeableness, and Emotional Stability to Predict Emotional Reactivity

Criterion Variable	Forced Hierarchical Order	Predictor Variable	R	F Change	Semipartial r^a
Emotional Reactivity	1	Condition (neutral vs. stress)	.519	22.084**	−.520
	2	Emotional Stability	.614	10.156*	−.053
	3	Self-Control	.709	11.530**	−.322
Note. EI = emotional intelligence. Procedure: Condition was entered as a first block; Social Desirability, Agreeableness, and Emotional Stability were entered in a stepwise fashion as a second block; and Well-Being and Self-Control were entered in a stepwise fashion as a third block. ^athese are the semipartial rs when all variables are considered together (Step 3).
*p < .01. **p < .001.

Table

Factor Facets	High Scorers Perceive Themselves as …
Well-Being
Self-esteem	Successful and self-confident
Trait happiness	Cheerful and satisfied with their lives
Trait optimism	Confident and likely to “look on the bright side” of life
Self-Control
Emtion regulation	Capable of controlling their emotions
Stress management	Capable of withstanding pressure and regulating stress
Impulsiveness (low)	Reflective and less likely to give in to their urges
Emotionality
Emotion perception (self and others)	Clear about their own and other people's feelings
Emotion expression	Capable of communicating their feelings to others
Relationship skills	Capable of having fulfilling personal relationships
Empathy	Capable of taking someone else's perspective
Sociability
Social competence	Accomplished networkers with excellent social skills
Emotion management (others)	Capable of influencing other people's feelings
Assertiveness	Forthright, frank, and willing to stand up for their rights
The following subscales do not belong to any particular factor and are directly included in the total score.
Adaptability	Flexible and willing to adapt to new conditions
Self-Motivation	Driven and unlikely to give up in the face of adversity

Watkins , M. W. 2002b . RC: Coefficient of Congruence [Computer software] http://www.personal.psu.edu/mww10/Watkins3.html Retrieved January 24, 2006, from

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