The Mediating Role of Cyberbullying, Self-Efficacy, and Parenting Styles in the Relationship Between Trait Emotional Intelligence and School Adjustment in Adolescents
Keywords:
Emotional intelligence, cyberbullying, self-efficacy, school adjustment, adolescentsAbstract
Objective: This study aimed to examine the mediating role of cyberbullying, self-efficacy, and parenting styles in the relationship between trait emotional intelligence and school adjustment among adolescent girls.
Methodology: The study employed a descriptive-correlational design using structural equation modeling. The statistical population consisted of all female high school students in Tehran during the 2021–2022 academic year. A multistage cluster sampling method was used, and 266 students completed the questionnaires. The instruments included the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire (TEIQue), Antoniadou's Cyberbullying-Cybervictimization Scale, Morris’s Self-Efficacy Scale, Buri’s Parenting Styles Questionnaire, and the High School Students Adjustment Inventory. Data were analyzed using SEM and bootstrap testing in AMOS.
Findings: Results revealed that trait emotional intelligence had significant direct and indirect negative relationships with emotional, social, and academic maladjustment. Self-efficacy, cyberbullying, victimization, and parenting styles significantly mediated this relationship. The strongest indirect effect was observed through self-efficacy on academic adjustment (β = -0.409, p < 0.001). The modified structural model showed good fit (CFI = 0.980, RMSEA = 0.053).
Conclusion: Trait emotional intelligence plays a critical role in school adjustment, and this relationship is largely mediated by psychological, familial, and social variables. Interventions aimed at improving emotional intelligence, enhancing self-efficacy, and promoting authoritative parenting may enhance adolescents' academic and social adjustment.
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