RESUMO
Mixture modeling technics are not the one and only to perform person-centered analyses, but they do offer the possibility of integrating latent profiles into models of some complexity that include antecedents and results. When analyzing the contribution of socioemotional resources to the preservation of mental health, it is the variable-centered approaches that are the most often performed, with few examples using a person-centered approach. Moreover, if the focus is on the Arab adolescent population, to our knowledge, there is an absence of such studies. This study aims to extend the research about socioemotional resources by examining: (1) if distinguishable profiles can be identified based on scores about perceptions of different emotional abilities and levels of social support from different sources (e.g., parents, friends, and teachers/counselors); (2) if the identified profiles relate to mental health indicators, such as depression levels and health-related quality of life (HRQoL); and (3) to acknowledge if sociodemographic variables such as age or gender and positive self-views (self-esteem) ascertain the probability of pertaining to the identified profiles. The study was carried out on a large sample of Moroccan adolescents (N = 970). We adopted a person-centered approach using latent profile analysis (LPA) to establish whether different socioemotional resources profiles (e.g., emotional intelligence and social support) are present in Moroccan adolescents. Furthermore, we investigated the role of sociodemographic variables and self-esteem as antecedents of these profiles and the association of these profiles with mental health (depression and HRQoL). Results from LPA revealed three patterns of socioemotional resources (i.e., latent profiles): (1) "High socioemotional resources" (43.09%); (2) "Moderate socioemotional resources" (42.68%); and (3) "Low socioemotional resources" (14.23%). Analyses showed that Moroccan adolescents differed significantly in depression (cognitive-affective and somatic dimensions) and HRQoL depending on the profile membership. Profiles with higher levels of resources contributed positively to preserving mental health. Finally, the results show that self-esteem boosted the probability of pertaining to the profiles related to better mental health. Thus, this study extends previous research about socioemotional resources, highlighting that researchers and health professionals should consider empirically identified profiles of adolescents when explaining mental health outcomes. Therefore, the psychological intervention should be focused on enhancing the self-esteem of adolescents, to favor a high socioemotional resource profile, which results in better mental health.
RESUMO
This study aimed to analyze the relationship of both positive socioemotional resources [emotional intelligence (EI) and social support] and negative states (test anxiety and depression) with academic adjustment, as measured by academic performance and self-concept, among Moroccan adolescents. The participants were 845 students from Morocco (372 boys, 473 girls; mean age 15.58 years; SD = 1.69; range = 13-18) who were attending secondary education (79.8%) or high school. The participants completed a questionnaire that included scales to measure the variables of interest, adapted for and validated in Moroccan adolescents. A multiple mediation serial model with four mediator variables confirmed that academic self-concept was positively and directly predicted by EI, academic performance, and social support, whereas test anxiety and depression had a negative effect. Second, EI predicted self-concept through its indirect effects on test anxiety and academic performance, social support, and depression. EI was the most protective factor. This model has good performance in explaining the variation in test anxiety (1.6%), depression (14.2%), social support (9.5%), academic performance (6.8%), and self-concept (35.7%). This study helps clarify the relationship of positive and negative socioemotional states with the academic performance of adolescents in Morocco. This study contributes to the literature by enhancing knowledge of adolescents in societies that, like Morocco, have a less elaborated tradition at these levels of education and that are considering education in their agenda as a way of enhancing national development and promoting EI to allow youth development in a healthier society.
RESUMO
This study aimed to test a structural model to examine the protective role of psychosocial variables, such as social support, emotional intelligence and their interaction, on the cognitive dimension of subjective positive well-being (life satisfaction) and negative well-being (depression) in Moroccan adolescents. The participants consisted of 1277 students (571 men, 694 women and 12 missing values) with a mean age of 16.15 years (SD = 2.22; range = 9 to 23) who attended 26 public schools in different territories of Morocco. These students were in secondary education (n = 893) and high school (n = 378) (6 missing values). The scales for measuring the variables of interest had to be adapted and validated as a previous step for the further proposal of a model of relations. Statistical analyses were conducted using structural equation modeling (SEM) to test the proposed model. The model that optimally adjusted the data confirmed the protective role of social support in the well-being of Moroccan adolescents. Consistent with previous studies, social support was directly related to well-being. However, it also modulated levels of satisfaction with life. Likewise, the inclusion of emotional intelligence as an additional protective factor contributed to the explanation of the well-being mechanisms in adolescents. In addition to direct associations with the levels of social support, satisfaction with life and depression (negative in the latter case), emotional intelligence participated in a complex chain affecting life satisfaction and life satisfaction affecting depression. Moreover, the interaction of emotional intelligence with social support was confirmed to determine levels of life satisfaction in adolescents. Specifically, social support multiplied the effects of the relationship between satisfaction with life and emotional intelligence in cases of moderate and high levels in Moroccan adolescents. This study fills a gap in the literature by adapting and further analyzing several scales with Moroccan samples of adolescents and by proposing and verifying a relational model that can help researchers and teachers to more precisely clarify these relations according to their context. The enhancement of protective factors, such as social support and emotional intelligence, will promote healthy youth development, thus creating healthier societies in the future.
RESUMO
Migration is a normal process of people seeking new opportunities, work, or leisure in societies. The way people adapt to a new country (acculturation) is a complex process in which immigrants' evaluations about the culture of origin and their perceptions of the host country interact. The combination of these two factors produces four types of acculturation: separation, assimilation, integration, and marginalization. Several variables, such as personality, attitudes, and emotional intelligence, have been studied to help explain this process. However, the impact of a culture of honor and its interaction with other variables remains an open question that may help to explain how migrants can better adjust to their host culture. In this study, we examine the influence of the culture of honor (social) and emotional intelligence (individual) on acculturation. In a sample of 129 Moroccan women (mean age = 29, SD = 9.40) immigrants in Spain (mean time in Spain = 6 years, SD = 3.60), we investigated the relations among the variables of interest. Our results show that no significant differences emerged in the scores given for culture of honor (CH) and the acculturation strategies of the Moroccan immigrant women F(3, 99) = .233; p = .87. However women who preferred the integration strategy scored highest on emotional intelligence (EI), whereas the assimilated immigrants showed the lowest scores for EI F(3, 92) = 4.63; p = .005. Additionally, only in the case of integration does EI mediate between CH and the value given to the immigrant's own and host cultures (p <.001).
