Open AccessAssessment of emotional intelligence in adults with down syndrome: Psychometric properties of the Emotional Quotient Inventory
Author(s) -
David SánchezTeruel,
María Auxiliadora RoblesBello,
José Antonio Camacho Conde
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
plos one
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.99
H-Index - 332
ISSN - 1932-6203
DOI - 10.1371/journal.pone.0236087
Subject(s) - psychology , emotional intelligence , population , clinical psychology , structural equation modeling , intrapersonal communication , goodness of fit , psychometrics , developmental psychology , mood , intelligence quotient , confirmatory factor analysis , cognition , interpersonal communication , psychiatry , statistics , social psychology , medicine , mathematics , environmental health
The Emotional Quotient Inventory: Youth version-EQ-i:YV was developed by Bar-On & Parker in 2000 and later translated and adapted for the general Spanish adolescent population by Ferrandiz et al. in 2012. The Spanish scale presents similar psychometric properties to the original version (54 items and five subdimensions). The Emotional Quotient Inventory assesses a set of personal, emotional, and social skills that influence adaptation to and coping with environmental demands and pressures. These factors can influence an adolescent’s success later in life, health, and psychological well-being. Traditionally, research in Down syndrome (DS) has focused on identifying cognitive deficits, relatively little is known about emotional intelligence (EI) and there are no scales that measure EI in people with DS adults. Objectives To validate and analyze the psychometric properties of the scale in the clinical population, specifically in Spanish adults with DS (EQ-i: SVDS). Methods A cross-sectional investigation was carried out in several stages. Descriptive, exploratory factorial (n = 345), confirmatory (n = 397), and scale reliability analyses were performed with better goodness-of-adjustment indices. Results A new scale named Emotional Quotient Inventory: Short Version for DS adults was obtained with a structure of four factors called mood, stress management, interpersonal, and intrapersonal. This new scale was reduced to 25 items. Goodness-of-fit indices were excellent (RMSEA [95% CI] = 02[.01; .03]; CFI = .99; TLI = .98; GFI = .87; AGFI = .89). The internal consistency of the four dimensions and the calculated total score (α = .91, ω = .93 and divided halves = .90) yielded high values in this clinical sample. Discussion The results recommend the use of the revised EQ-i: YV, the EQ-i: SVDS, to assess EI in adults with DS. The psychometric properties of this study are satisfactory but have four factors. The findings are discussed in terms of future research and practical implication to gain a more thorough understanding of how this population behaves on both a general and preventive level in order to teach EI properly. Conclusions This new version is a valid and reliable tool to evaluate emotional intelligence in people with intellectual disabilities and specifically in Spanish adults with DS.