The importance of emotional intelligence and cognitive style in institutionalized older adults’ quality of life.

Abstract

Despite previous evidence showing a positive relationship between emotional intelligence (EI) and quality of life (QoL), associating older adults’ emotional processing with several health indicators, few studies have explored both the IE and the mechanisms through which they affect QoL. This cross-sectional study analyzes themediator role of optimistic and pessimistic cognitive styles in the relationship between perceived EI (PEI) and QoL in 115 institutionalized older adults from Southern Spain. Regression analyses showed, after controlling for cognitive style, that PEI predicted a significant percentage of variance in: Health (β = .25, p < .01), Functional abilities (β = .20, p < .05), Activity and leisure (β =.17, p<.05) and Life satisfaction (β =.21, p<.05). Additionally, multiplemediation analysis revealed that cognitive style partially mediated the relationship between PEI and Health, Activity and leisure and Life satisfaction. Thus, PEI could promote personal but not external or environmental QoL aspects, highlighting the importance of developing emotional skills for healthy aging.