Looking for psychological adjustment through emotional intelligence: Does teacher gender make a difference?

In the last decades, research has given a key role to emotional intelligence (EI) as predictor of health and psychological adjustment. Nevertheless, previous studies have shown gender differences in the impact of EI on several adjustment indicators. Our study aimed to analyze the potential role of gender as a moderator in the relationship between perceived EI (PEI) and depressive, anxious and stress symptomatology. The sample consisted of 310 teachers (55.9 percent were female) from several educational levels in the province of Malaga. Results show that gender moderates the link between PEI and depressive and anxious symptomatology, with men presenting higher association values. Our findings suggest the relevance of including a gender perspective in further research and intervention programs. Finally, we discuss our results in terms of the need of future research to analyze the specific effect of EI on men and women and its implications for teachers’ psychological adjustment.