Emotional intelligence and resilience in secondary school Physical Education students during the COVID-19 pandemic

Emotional intelligence (EI) and resilience play an important role in the lives of adolescents, and this has been especially so during the coronavirus pandemic, which has affected the mental health of young people. The study objectives were: (i) to analyse the correlations between the EI variables and resilience; (ii) to analyse the differences between the resilience variable and the EI variables according to the sex variable; and (iii) to analyse the predictive relationship between the EI variables and the resilience variable according to sex. A cross-sectional, observational, and descriptive design study was carried out with a convenience sample consisting of 150 students (78 girls; 72 boys) between the ages of 12 and 18 years (M=14.83; SD=1.72). The scales administered were: The Emotional Quotient Inventory and the Resilience Scale. The descriptive statistics were calculated - Student's T test was used to check for differences based on the sex variable, and linear regression analysis was performed to check the prediction ratio of the EI subscales on resilience. The results demonstrated positive and significant relationships between the EI variables and resilience, with EI and resilience being higher in boys than in girls - this differs from previous data, perhaps influenced by the Covid-19 pandemic. The results also reflect that EI positively predicts resilience to a greater extent in boys than in girls.