Parents’ Emotional Intelligence and their Children’s Mental Health: A Systematic Review

Author(s): Miguel Romero González, Mireia Primé-Tous, Eva Varela Bondelle, Antonio Vázquez-Morejón, Pilar Santamarina, Astrid Morer, Luisa Lázaro

Background: Emotional Intelligence (EI) has been the subject of numerous investigations and has been connected to better adaptation to the environment in general and, in particular, to better mental health. Parents' EI seems to be passed on to their children through learning. There are few studies that evaluate the EI of parents in relation to the mental health of their children.

Objective: To synthesize current knowledge about the association between parents' EI and psychological, evolutionary and the mental health-related variables of their children.

Methods: Carry out a systematic review following the PRISMA guidelines. PubMed, Scopus, and Psycinfo databases were searched up to November 20, 2020, using the relevant MeSH terms and keywords.

Results: A total of 8 studies met the inclusion criteria. All agreed in identifying the positive association of parents' EI with some aspect related to the quality of life of their children. However, there is limited evidence in the direction of this association and explanatory models for it. The studies differed in the type of sample used, as well as in the instruments used to evaluate EI.

Conclusion: A better EI of the parents is related to characteristics in their children such as a better adaptation to the environment, a better state of mental health or a lower severity of psychopathology.

© 2016-2024, Copyrights Fortune Journals. All Rights Reserved