Emotional intelligence, social coping, and psychological distress among Chinese gifted students in Hong Kong

Abstract

The relationships among emotional intelligence, social coping, and psychological distress were investigated in a sample of 624 Chinese gifted students in Hong Kong. A mediation‐effect model specifying that emotional intelligence had an effect on psychological distress mediated by social coping was hypothesized and tested using structural equation modeling procedures. For comparison, a direct‐effect model and a direct‐and‐mediation‐effect model were also fitted to the data. The results indicated that the mediation‐effect model provided an adequate and good fit, suggesting that the effects of self‐relevant and other‐relevant emotional intelligence on psychological distress were mediated by avoidant coping and social‐interaction coping, respectively. Implications of the findings for enhancing emotional intelligence of students and in promoting the use of adaptive social coping strategies for their psychological well‐being are discussed.

Acknowledgements

This study was supported in part by a direct grant for research from the Chinese University of Hong Kong.