Experiencing anxiety in breast cancer survival: Does perceived emotional intelligence matter?

BACKGROUND: The specialized literature shows that breast cancer (BC) survivors have a certain vulnerability to express anxiety about the changes that the disease entails in their lives. Breast cancer is a specific adverse circumstance, but women who have not experienced this disease may also be exposed to other anxiety-provoking life crises. In both cases, perceived emotional intelligence (PEI)-consisting of emotional attention (EA), emotional clarity (EC), and emotional repair (ER)-seems to impact on such emotional distress. OBJECTIVE: To identify the mechanism through which PEI may mediate the relationship between BC survivorship, compared to a controlled group, and anxiety. METHODS: 636 women were divided into two groups: 56 BC survivors and 580 healthy controls. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and the Trait Meta-Mood Scale were administered. RESULTS: BC survivors differed from the control group in showing lower levels of EA and higher levels of ER. The global mediation model showed an explanatory capacity of 27% on anxiety (p = 0.000). Four significant indirect effects were obtained: two acted as risk pathways and the other two as protective pathways. The strongest effect indicated an increase in anxiety in BC survivors due to the mediated effect of low EA and EC. CONCLUSIONS: Knowing the impact of PEI on anxiety on disease survival could be the empirical basis for developing interventions to improve psychological adjustment at the end of treatments.

Psychosocial and sexual well-being in breast cancer survivors undergoing immediate breast reconstruction: The mediating role of breast satisfaction.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to explore (1) the levels of quality of life (psychosocial, physical and sexual well-being) and breast satisfaction in breast cancer patients (BCP) after immediate reconstruction (IR), considering surgery reason and surgical technique, and (2) the explanatory and predictive capacity of psychosocial well-being on breast satisfaction, and of both on sexual well-being. METHODS: This prospective study included 36 BCP who underwent IR between June 2006 and December 2014. RESULTS: Highest levels of quality of life were found in psychosocial well-being and sexual well-being, with no statistically significant differences by surgery reason or surgical technique in any quality of life indicator or breast satisfaction. Psychosocial, physical well-being and breast satisfaction explained 56.16% of the variance in sexual well-being, where 44.67% was attributed to psychosocial well-being. In addition, breast satisfaction statistically significantly mediated the relationship between psychosocial and sexual well-being, independently of physical well-being. CONCLUSION: Our findings highlight the importance of IR in reducing psychological morbidity and preserving the quality of life and breast satisfaction. Furthermore, this research indicated that psychosocial well-being should be considered a useful personal resource for improving the sexual well-being of BCP undergoing IR both through its direct effect and the mediated effect of breast satisfaction.

Boosting return to work after breast cancer: The mediator role of perceived emotional intelligence.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to explore work ability (WA) in breast cancer (BC) survivors and to examine the mechanism by which perceived emotional intelligence (PEI) acts as a covitality factor that preserves WA and promotes the return to work in this clinical population. METHODS: The sample was composed of 622 women divided into two groups: BC survivors (6.75%) and healthy controls (93.25%). Participants completed the Work Ability Index and Trait-Meta-Mood Scales. Descriptive statistical and serial mediation analyses were conducted to explore the mechanism by which PEI influences the relationship between BC survivors and WA. RESULTS: Preliminary descriptive analysis showed that BC survivors displayed lower levels of WA than healthy controls. The overall serial mediation analysis revealed that BC and PEI predicted 35.4% of the variance of WA. The direct effects showed that BC and age decrease WA. Regarding PEI, our results indicated that emotional clarity and mood repair lead to higher WA, while emotional attention decreased the ability to work in both, the BC sample and healthy controls. The mediation analysis revealed that WA could be preserved in BC survivors by an indirect effect through mood repair. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings support previous research demonstrating that BC patients have lower levels of WA compared to healthy controls. This study highlighted the relevance of PEI as a covitality factor that enhances WA. Our research offers vital support for the need to improve emotional competences in BC patients to increase WA levels and return to work odds.

Emotional Intelligence and Breast Cancer: A Systematic Review.

Emotional Intelligence (EI), defined as the ability to perceive, identify, understand, and regulate emotional states is related to health outcomes. In this line, some studies examined this personal resource in the cancer area and, specifically, in breast cancer. Also, the different models and measures have led to a categorisation considering the various construct-method pairings of EI. Despite the increased number of studies about EI in the breast cancer context, there are no systematic reviews that summarise the results obtained in the different investigations. Objectives: Hence, the present review aims: to identify and describe the measures that have been used for assessing EI within this field, and to summarise the main results regarding EI in terms of its predictors and outcomes, considering the instruments used to assess it. Methods: The PRISMA guidelines were followed. Database search was conducted in WOS, Scopus, Pubmed, and PSYCArticles. Results: A total of 156 articles were found and 21 met the eligibility criteria. On one hand, one of the most used instruments was the TMMS-24 framed within the self-report ability EI, followed by those framed within the self-report mixed EI. None of the studies measured EI by the performance-based ability EI perspective. On the other hand, EI was related to other variables such as psychological well-being, quality of life, resilience, workability, anxiety, and depression. The majority of the studies were cross-sectional, and some of them included an intervention. Conclusions: This review provides a comprehensive overview of the existing studies concerning EI in the context of breast cancer, highlighting some of its characteristics regarding design, participants, used measures, and related variables. Also, the obtained results can improve the clinical practice and the understanding of the EI as an influencing factor in the health and quality of life of breast cancer populations.

NEUROCANTRIAL: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial of a pain neuroscience education programme in adults with cancer pain.

INTRODUCTION: Pain is the second most frequent symptom reported in patients with cancer among the main reasons for consultation. The incorporation of educational modalities in pain intervention processes has been suggested. This study aims to examine the efficacy of neuroscience pain education (PNE) in relation to pain, biopsychosocial variables and functional capacity in comparison with conventional treatment. It is hypothesised that an intervention based on PNE achieves better outcomes than conventional management, in terms of pain, biopsychosocial variables and functional capacity in adults with oncological pain. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: This will be a single-blind, controlled clinical trial in which two groups will be compared using changes in pain as the primary measure. The first group will receive conventional treatment in addition to PNE, and participants will undergo an intervention of nine sessions (one session per week, for a total of 9 weeks), each lasting 30-40 min. Specifically, these sessions will teach biophysiological elements using metaphors that allow the adoption of these concepts related to pain. The second group will receive conventional treatment (pharmacological treatment). For this study, a sample size calculation was made based on the background, where 80 adults with oncological pain were required. An initial evaluation will be made to establish the baseline characteristics, and then, according to the randomisation, the assignment to the PNE group or the control group will be made and the two groups will be summoned again. Ten weeks later, for the intervention evaluation, the statistical analysis plan will be established by protocol and by intention-to-treat. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This protocol complies with all ethical considerations. The authors commit to presenting the study's results. This study was approved by the ethics committees of the Universidad Santiago de Cali, Clínica de Occidente/Angiografía de Occidente. The authors commit to presenting the study's results. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT05581784.

The Key Role of Emotional Repair and Emotional Clarity on Depression among Breast Cancer Survivors.

Breast cancer is the malignancy with the highest incidence in women worldwide. The empirical evidence is inconsistent with the prevalence of depression among breast cancer survivors (BCS), pointing to emotional competencies as protective factors against affective disorders. However, the mechanisms through which these competencies favor a more adaptive emotional state are unknown. Therefore, this study aims to explore the relationship between the experience of having survived the disease and depression levels in a group of BCS, and the mediating role of Perceived Emotional Intelligence (PEI) in this relation. This was a cross-sectional study with 237 women divided into two groups: 56 BCS and 181 healthy controls who completed the Trait Meta-Mood Scale 24 (TMMS-24) and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Results showed that Survivorship and PEI explained and predicted 37.8% of the variance of depression, corresponding the 11.7% to the direct and/or the indirect effect of the PEI dimensions (Emotional Attention, Emotional Clarity, and Emotional Repair). In conclusion, interventions aimed at promoting an adequate PEI in this population-and in the Psycho-oncology field, in general-with a particular focus on the development of Emotional Clarity and Repair need to be implemented. Limitations and future research lines are discussed.

Idiosyncratic Profile of Perceived Emotional Intelligence and Post-Traumatic Growth in Breast Cancer Survivors: Findings of a Multiple Mediation Model.

Psycho-oncology research suggests that positive personal changes can occur after experiencing breast cancer. These changes can be understood as post-traumatic growth (PTG) and seem to be determined by emotional self-efficacy perception. This study aims to investigate the existence of different profiles of PTG and perceived emotional intelligence (PEI) among breast cancer survivors (BCSs) and healthy controls. Moreover, it aims to study the mechanisms through which PEI may mediate the relationship between disease survival and PTG. The total sample was 636 women divided into two groups: 56 BCS and 580 healthy controls who completed TMMS-24 and PTGI. The results displayed that BCSs apparently show a different profile of PTG and PEI compared to healthy women. The mediation analyses showed that survivorship explained 1.9% of PTG, increasing to 26.5% by the effect of PEI. An indirect effect showed that cancer survival predicts reduced levels of emotional attention, decreasing PTG. However, the most statistical indirect effect evidenced that BCSs regulate their emotions appropriately, having a powerful effect on PTG and counteracting the negative effects of poor emotional attention. Knowing the implications of PEI on PTG could improve follow-up from the time of diagnosis and supporting the patient to cope with the sequelae of the disease.

Confinement Situation of the Spanish Population during the Health Crisis of COVID-19: Resilience Mediation Process in the Relationship of Dispositional Optimism and Psychological Well-Being.

The pandemic generated by COVID-19 is one of the most complex challenges humanity has faced in recent years. This study aims to explore the levels of dispositional optimism, resilience and psychological well-being in the sociodemographic and economic situation produced during the state of alarm and to investigate the resilience mediation between optimism and psychological well-being. The sample included 566 volunteers from Spain (73.5% women; M = 40.2 years, SD = 12.8). An ad hoc questionnaire was applied to request socioeconomic data and dispositional optimism (LOT-R). Resilience and psychological well-being were, respectively, evaluated by the Ryff scale and the Wagnild and Young scale. The results show that older and people with higher educational levels are more optimistic and have better psychological well-being. Well-being is also greater in married, divorced and widowed people and in those who have lived in outdoor spaces. However, those with spaced housing were more optimistic. Finally, it was found that the most optimistic people have better psychological well-being and that this is increased by the mediation process exercised by the ability to overcome adversity, provided age and educational level are controlled. It can be concluded that the design of preventive programs focused on improving strengths, positive emotions and skills in the population would be convenient to protect mental health.

Attributed Contribution of Therapist's Emotional Variables to Psychotherapeutic Effectiveness: A Preliminary Study.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this manuscript is to analyze the degrees of responsibility for healing that psychotherapists attribute to a set of emotional variables of the therapist involved in the therapeutic process. Such variables, framed within the well-known common factors in psychotherapy, have been proven to be essential in making the therapeutic process effective, as has been shown by research in psychotherapy in recent decades. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Based on an extensive literature review, the responses from a sample of 69 psychotherapists to a tool created ad hoc are analyzed to verify whether their attributions are in line with the results of said review. RESULTS: The therapists have doubts about the factors responsible for psychotherapeutic effectiveness, as well as about the value of common variables, including those of an emotional nature, not valuing them above those of a specific type. They also argue against the similar effectiveness of different psychotherapeutic models. CONCLUSION: Discrepancies have thus been found between the conclusions reached by research on therapeutic processes and the statements made by the therapists studied, which could indicate an insufficient impact of psychotherapeutic research on clinical practice. We also propose courses of action such as establishing training programs for the acquisition and development of emotional skills for therapists that could increase the effectiveness of their interventions.

Enhancing Self-Esteem and Body Image of Breast Cancer Women through Interventions: A Systematic Review.

Breast Cancer (BC) is the most common neoplasm in women worldwide, considered a global public health problem. Among BC women, some of the most common psychological symptoms in the adaptation to the disease are reduction in self-esteem and distorted body image (BI). Although there are numerous studies with the goal of promoting different psychological variables, BI and self-esteem are often separately observed despite their relationship and their importance in the process of the illness. Moreover, there have been no reviews that have synthesized the findings related to interventions aimed at enhancing both self-esteem and BI in BC women. Therefore, the objective of this review was to identify and examine the implemented interventions aimed at boosting both variables in this population. For this purpose, a systematic review was implemented following the PRISMA statement. A thorough search was performed on the following databases: Web of Science, PubMed, PsychInfo, PsychArticles, and Scopus. Among 287 records, only eight articles met the eligibility criteria. Interventions were grouped into three types according to their characteristics: Group therapies, Physical activity therapies, and Cosmetic and beauty treatments. The levels of effectiveness of the different interventions varied between them, and within each, in their impact on self-esteem and BI. More interventions focused on developing BI and self-esteem in this population are needed due to their ability to predict psychological functioning and quality of life of women with breast cancer.

Lights and Shadows of Trait Emotional Intelligence: Its Mediating Role in the Relationship Between Negative Affect and State Anxiety in University Students.

Nowadays, students are experiencing difficult and stressful situations due to the Global Pandemic Alert. This changing world can evoke negative emotions that have been traditionally linked to higher anxiety. Researches have been focused on the positive outcomes of trait emotional intelligence (TEI) preventing psychological disorders. However, the possibility that TEI might have a dark side has been neglected. Hence, this study aimed to explore the mediating effect of the three dimensions of TEI in the relationship between negative affect and anxiety symptoms among college students. Participants of this research were 467 undergraduates who completed an online self-reported questionnaire including the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS; Watson et al., 1988), the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI; Spielberger et al., 1970), and Trait Meta-Mood Scale (TMMS-24, Salovey et al., 1995). The global serial mediation model showed that the total amount of variance explained by the global model was 30.8% (R 2 = 0.31). Negative affectivity and age accounted for the 15.1% of state anxiety variance (R 2 = 0.15; c: B = 0.63, p < 0.001) while 15.7% of the variance of state anxiety was attributed to the direct or indirect effect of the three dimensions of TEI (R 2 = 0.16). Five indirect effects presented statistical significance (95% BootCI). The contrast analyses between mediators showed that three indirect effects had higher statistical weigh; the ability of negative affect to increase state anxiety through (i) emotional attention; (ii) emotional clarity, and (iii) serially through emotional clarity and mood repair. Our results indicated that students' negative emotions lead to higher emotional attention which in turn may enhance state anxiety in two ways: by a direct effect of emotional attention on state anxiety and by a serial effect through emotional clarity. Moreover, when negative affect is associated with lower emotional clarity, anxiety symptoms may also arise. However, when attention and clarity are connected, the negative effect is reversed into a positive one, decreasing state anxiety.

Impulsivity, Emotional Intelligence, and Alcohol Consumption in Young People: A Mediation Analysis.

Alcohol consumption in young people is a public health problem. Due to the harmful consequences and the large population using alcoholic substances, it would be important to determine the biological, psychological, and social factors associated with alcohol use and abuse. The main object of this study is to explore which components of impulsivity, according to the main theoretical models, have predictive power regarding alcohol consumption in young people. A secondary objective is to determine if emotional intelligence has a mediating role between the components of impulsivity and alcohol consumption, and thus specifically contribute to the knowledge about the mediation processes between those variables that are involved in the initiation and maintenance of alcohol consumption. For this purpose, 384 participants were recruited (83.1% females, n = 319), with mean age of 20.46 years (SD = 1.90; range 18-25). All participants were alcohol consumers at the beginning of the study. Data collection was conducted via online survey; impulsivity was evaluated by several questionnaires (Sensation Seeking Scale Form V, Barratt Impulsivity Scales 11, and Sensitivity to Punishment and Sensitivity to Reward), and emotional intelligence was evaluated by the Trait Meta-Mood Scale. The results reveal that the dimension of disinhibition (a dimension of the sensation search scale) significantly has the highest predictive value on alcohol consumption. Moreover, our data show that the total effect and direct effect of disinhibition on frequency of alcohol consumption were both significant. The mediating role of emotional intelligence in this process was also significant. These findings show which variables should be considered to prevent alcohol consumption in young people.

Breast Cancer and Resilience: The Controversial Role of Perceived Emotional Intelligence.

Cancer is a chronic disease that causes the most deaths in the world, being a public health problem nowadays. Even though breast cancer affects the daily lives of patients, many women become resilient after the disease, decreasing the impact of the diagnosis. Based on a positive psychology approach, the concept of co-vitality arises understood as a set of socio-emotional competencies that enhance psychological adaptation. In this sense, emotional intelligence is one of the main protective factors associated with resilience. However, it is not always as beneficial as it seems, and can lead to collateral effects on psychological adjustment. Given this controversy, this study aims to find the specific processes through which the dimensions of Perceived Emotional Intelligence (PEI) (Emotional Attention, Emotional Clarity, and Mood Repair) can act as a risk or protective factor in the development of resilience. The total sample was 167 women (Age: M = 43.26; SD = 12.43), 46.7% were breast cancer survivors, and 53.3% were healthy controls. The selection of women with breast cancer carries out randomly, recruited through the Oncology Units. The sample completed measures of resilience and PEI, through Resilience Scale (Wagnild and Young, 1993) and TMMS-24 (Salovey et al., 1995). The results showed that breast cancer survivors showed higher age and greater levels of resilience and mood repair than healthy women. The mediation analysis revealed that breast cancer survival and PEI predicted 28% of the variance of resilience. The direct effects showed that emotional clarity and mood repair increased resilience levels. Although breast cancer did not predict resilience directly, it does through mood repair by an indirect process. Besides, the analysis showed that emotional attention played a role in vulnerability, decreasing mood repair, and resilience. These research support theories that point to a possible dark side of PEI, thus, a great level of emotional attention makes dark the positive effect of mood repair and personal growth if a clear perception of emotions does not complement it. These results provide empirical support concerning the need to work complementary each dimension of PEI to avoid unwanted effects on intrapersonal adjustment.

Facing Anxiety, Growing Up. Trait Emotional Intelligence as a Mediator of the Relationship Between Self-Esteem and University Anxiety.

The current study analyzed how trait emotional intelligence (trait EI) mediates the relationship between self-esteem and state anxiety and trait anxiety. The sample was composed of 153 undergraduate students from the University of Cádiz, Spain (71.9% women and 28.1% men). Students completed measures of self-esteem, state anxiety, trait anxiety, and trait EI. Mediation analyses were completed with three trait EI dimensions (EA, emotional attention; EC, emotional clarity; and MR, mood repair) as mediating variables, self-esteem as the independent variable, and state anxiety and trait anxiety as the dependent ones. Our results confirmed that self-esteem scores explained and predicted both, state and trait anxiety values (13% for state and 21% for trait anxiety). This explanatory capacity is increased by 8% when accounting for all trait EI dimensions. Considering state anxiety, the results of the direct effects showed that a decrease in their levels is predicted through the increases in the levels of both, self-esteem and MR. Regarding trait anxiety, the results of the direct effects showed that a decrease in their levels is predicted, in addition to an increment of self-esteem and MR values, by an increase of EC and a decrease of EA. Conversely, indirect effects revealed that higher levels of self-esteem were associated with worse scores in EA and worse MR, which in turn would enhance both state and trait anxiety levels. Moreover, regarding trait anxiety higher levels of self-esteem were associated with worse scores in EA and worse EC, therefore increasing trait anxiety levels. As shown, the negative association found between self-esteem and EA becomes a key element. The effect of self-esteem on EA and the influence that the latter had on EC and MR exerts an indirect mediated effect with the power to invert the influence that self-esteem wields on both types of anxiety. In this sense, the apparent protective role of self-esteem changed, turning into a risk factor that promotes higher anxiety values.

Mediating Effect of Trait Emotional Intelligence Between the Behavioral Activation System (BAS)/Behavioral Inhibition System (BIS) and Positive and Negative Affect.

Gray (1970, 1981, 1987) proposed a behavioral motivation theory (Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory, RST), which describes the Behavioral Activation/Approach System (BAS) and the Behavioral Inhibition System (BIS). Some studies relate higher activation of BAS to positive affect, whereas BIS activation is linked to negative affect, particularly to high levels of anxiety and depression. Research data suggests that greater Trait Emotional Intelligence (TEI) influences optimal development of well-being and psychological adjustment, such as positive affective states. However, a recent study relates the motivational BIS/BAS systems with TEI, showing that high TEI is characterized by sensitivity to reward (BAS), and low TEI due to activation of the BIS system. The aim of this study was to explore how TEI may mediate the relationship between BIS/BAS sensitivity and positive and negative affect. Four-hundred and sixty-seven undergraduate students (385 females) were evaluated. TEI was evaluated with the Trait Meta-Mood Scale (TMMS). Affective states were measured with the Positive (PA) and Negative Affect (NA) Schedule, and BIS/BAS sensitivity was measured with The Sensitivity to Punishment (SP) and Sensitivity to Reward (SR) Questionnaire. The results reveal the influence of the two motivational systems on affective states, and show how this relationship is modified by and better explained through TEI. That is, a stronger approach to appetitive stimuli produces more positive affect, but a belief that one [does not] understand unpleasant emotions or that one analyzes them, or thinks that one cannot regulate or control emotions will reduce that positive state. Greater activation of inhibitory behaviors will produce greater negative affect, and this will increase when one perceives that one attends excessively to one's feelings or does not understand them or feels incapable of regulating them. Accordingly, although motivators could be a focus of interest for intervention, this study shows that the efficiency and profitability of these practical applications increases by adding TEI.

Emotion Regulation Ability and Resilience in a Sample of Adolescents from a Suburban Area.

Earlier research has identified a remarkable number of related factors to resilience during adolescence. Historically, theoretical treatments of resilience have been focused almost exclusively on psychosocial levels of analysis to derive explanatory models. However, there is insufficient understanding of the role of emotion regulation explaining competent functioning despite the experience of adversity (resilience), especially during adolescence. This study explores the relationship between both, emotional regulation abilities and strategies, and resilience in a sample of adolescents from suburbs high-schools (Jerez de la Frontera, Spain). The study also examines how using different emotional regulation strategies may help the development of resilience levels at this stage. Participants of the study were 164 adolescents ranging from 13 to 16 years old (M = 13.98; SD = 0.66). Emotion regulation was measured using the Cognitive Emotional Regulation Questionnaire (CERQ, Garnefski et al., 2001), and sections D and H of Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test, a performance test (Emotion Regulation Ability sections, MSCEIT, Spanish version, Mayer et al., 2003). Resilience was evaluated with ERE (Educative Resilience Scale for children and adolescents, Saavedra and Castro, 2009). Verbal Intelligence (Yuste, 1997) and personality traits (Cattell and Cattell, 1986) were assessed as two independent variables. Results supported the idea that emotion regulation ability (MSCEIT, D and H sections, Extremera et al., 2006) is a significant predictor of adolescents' resilience. Moreover, cognitive regulation strategies, such as positive reappraisal, predicted perceived resilience among students. Sociability (A factor of HSPQ, sociability) also correlated with resilience levels. Hence, these results are promising, implying that emotion regulation ability may act as a helpful tool preventing adolescents from irrational risky behaviors, commonly assumed at this developmental stage.

Attention lapses in children with spina bifida and hydrocephalus and children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

Attentional lapses are usually defined as temporary and often brief shifts of attention away from some primary task to unrelated internal information processing. This study addressed the incidence of attention lapses and differences in attentional functioning in 30 children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), 26 healthy children, and 29 children with spina bifida myelomeningocele and hydrocephalus (SBH). Assessments were conducted using computerized tonic and phasic attention tests, the Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT), and the Trail Making Test Form B (TMT-B). The group with SBH differed from normal controls on cognitive measures of attention and executive functions. The ADHD group obtained lower scores than the SBH group and healthy children. ANOVA results showed that there was an effect of shunt revisions and shunt-related infections on neuropsychological performance. Lapses of attention together with reaction time may thus represent important factors for the understanding of cognitive deficits in SBH.

Emotional intelligence and social and academic adaptation to school.

In a sample of 127 Spanish adolescents, the ability to understand and manage emotions, assessed by a performance measure of emotional intelligence (the MSCEIT), correlated positively with teacher ratings of academic achievement and adaptation for both males and females. Among girls, these emotional abilities also correlated positively with peer friendship nominations. After controlling for IQ and the Big Five personality traits, the ability to understand and manage emotions remained significantly associated with teacher ratings of academic adaptation among boys and peer friendship nominations among girls. Self-perceived emotional intelligence was unrelated to these criteria. These findings provide partial support for hypotheses that emotional abilities are associated with indicators of social and academic adaptation to school.

PERVALE-S: a new cognitive task to assess deaf people's ability to perceive basic and social emotions.

UNLABELLED: A poorly understood aspect of deaf people (DP) is how their emotional information is processed. Verbal ability is key to improve emotional knowledge in people. Nevertheless, DP are unable to distinguish intonation, intensity, and the rhythm of language due to lack of hearing. Some DP have acquired both lip-reading abilities and sign language, but others have developed only sign language. PERVALE-S was developed to assess the ability of DP to perceive both social and basic emotions. PERVALE-S presents different sets of visual images of a real deaf person expressing both basic and social emotions, according to the normative standard of emotional expressions in Spanish Sign Language. Emotional expression stimuli were presented at two different levels of intensity (1: low; and 2: high) because DP do not distinguish an object in the same way as hearing people (HP) do. Then, participants had to click on the more suitable emotional expression. PERVALE-S contains video instructions (given by a sign language interpreter) to improve DP's understanding about how to use the software. DP had to watch the videos before answering the items. To test PERVALE-S, a sample of 56 individuals was recruited (18 signers, 8 lip-readers, and 30 HP). Participants also performed a personality test (High School Personality Questionnaire adapted) and a fluid intelligence (Gf) measure (RAPM). Moreover, all deaf participants were rated by four teachers for the deaf. RESULTS: there were no significant differences between deaf and HP in performance in PERVALE-S. Confusion matrices revealed that embarrassment, envy, and jealousy were worse perceived. Age was just related to social-emotional tasks (but not in basic emotional tasks). Emotional perception ability was related mainly to warmth and consciousness, but negatively related to tension. Meanwhile, Gf was related to only social-emotional tasks. There were no gender differences.