Examining the Relationship between Emotional Intelligence, Substance Involvement, and Romantic Relationship Attachment among Adults

Description

Sakshi Attri and Neha Pandeya (Department of Psychology, Mehr Chand Mahajan DAV College for Women, Chandigarh, India)

Current study examines the relationship between emotional intelligence, substance involvement, and romantic attachment among emerging adults, and explore whether gender affects this relationship. The three of these domains have been studied individually and in combination, but there needs to be more research done looking at the relationship between the three in emerging adults. Emotional intelligence was assessed using Wong and Law Emotional Intelligence Scale (WLEIS) comprising of four subscales: self-emotional appraisal, other emotional appraisal, use of emotion, and regulation of emotion. Substance involvement was measured with the Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST) and romantic attachment was measured with the Experiences in Close Relationships-12 (ECR-12) questionnaire (involving attachment anxiety & attachment avoidance). A total of 100 emerging adults (50 males & 50 females) between 18 and 25 years old were sampled. Correlations were computed in both sexes separately and differences between the groups were tested by the independent-samples t-test. Self-emotional appraisal was also significantly and negatively correlated with attachment avoidance for female emerging adults. There were other emotional appraisal and emotion regulation constructs that had negative associations with substance involvement among male emerging adults. Notably, there were no gender differences in any of the observed variables. There are implications for student mental health support discussed.