EMOTIONAL COMPETENCY AS A PREDICTIVE FACTOR FOR POSITIVE MENTAL HEALTH IN ADOLESCENCE
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Abstract
The present study examined the mental health of adolescent students in relation to their emotional competence. A sample of 100 government secondary school students was studied using a descriptive correlational research design. Two standardized tools were administered: the Mental Health Battery (Singh & Gupta, 2008), and the scale of Emotional Competencies (Sharma & Bhardwaj, 2007). Statistical analysis employed descriptive statistics, Correlation and Multiple regression. The findings revealed that emotional competency significantly predicts positive mental health among adolescents. The regression model was statistically significant (R² = .124, p < .001), explaining 12.4% of the variance in positive mental health. Among the dimensions of emotional competency, Adequate Expression and Control of Emotions, Ability to Cope with Problem Emotions, and Ability to Enhance Positive Emotions significantly predicted positive mental health, whereas Adequate Depth of Feeling and Ability to Function with Emotions were not significant predictors. The results highlight the importance of emotional regulation and positive emotional management in fostering adolescents' positive mental health.
Developing emotional competencies, particularly emotional regulation and coping skills, may enhance positive mental health among adolescents and should be emphasized in educational and mental health interventions.
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