An empirical study of the effects of social-emotional competence on Chinese college students' interpersonal relationship circles from a relational theory perspective

Social-emotional competence, as a core competence in the process of social development, holds significant importance for enhancing individual social responsibility, constructing social relations, and improving individual well-being. However, how social- emotional competence affects the interpersonal relationship circle of contemporary college students in the context of Chinese interaction culture remains unexplored. Based upon the Chinese interaction culture, this study aims to explore the impact of social-emotional competence on interpersonal relationship circle, with a focus on the influence of relation capital and interaction culture on interpersonal relationship circle development. The study randomly selected a total of 3847 college students from 10 colleges and universities in Henan Province to participate in a questionnaire survey, with structural equations used for data analysis. The study revealed that: 1. After controlling for factors such as gender and learning stage, social-emotional competence was found to directly predict the development of interpersonal relationship circle, and could positively mediate the relationship between relation capital and interaction culture; 2. It could also serve as a serial mediator in relation capital and interpersonal relationship circle, together with the interaction culture; 3. Male students exhibited significantly higher social-emotional competence at the individual level compared to female students.