Mediating effect of social interaction anxiety between emotional intelligence and life satisfaction in physical education students: post-COVID-19 study

Juan José Calleja-Núñez; Antonio Granero-Gallegos; Roberto Espinoza-Gutiérrez; Raúl Baños

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1284664

Mediating effect of social interaction anxiety between emotional intelligence and life satisfaction in physical education students: post-COVID-19 study

Front Psychol. 2023 Oct 2:14:1284664. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1284664. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Juan José Calleja-Núñez¹, Antonio Granero-Gallegos^{2

3}, Roberto Espinoza-Gutiérrez¹, Raúl Baños^{1

4}

Affiliations

¹ Faculty of Sports, Autonomous University of Baja California, Tijuana, Mexico.
² Department of Education, University of Almeria, Almeria, Spain.
³ Health Research Centre, University of Almeria, Almeria, Spain.
⁴ Department of Musical, Plastic and Corporal Expression, Faculty of Education Sciences, University of Granada, Ceuta, Spain.

Abstract

The aim of this research is to analyze the effect of social interaction anxiety on satisfaction with life mediated by emotional intelligence. The research design was descriptive, cross-sectional, and non-randomized. In total, 1,164 Mexican physical education students participated (M_age = 21.21; SD = 3.26; 30.0% female; 69.6% male; 0.4% other). The scales used were the Social Interaction Anxiety Scale, Trait Meta-Mood Scale and Satisfaction with Life and a structural equation analysis with latent variables was conducted. The results highlight that it can be asserted that emotional clarity and repair had a mediating effect between social interaction anxiety and satisfaction with life, as they did decrease the negative effects of social interaction anxiety on satisfaction with life. In addition, social interaction anxiety had a direct and positive effect on emotional attention and a negative effect on emotional clarity and repair.

Keywords: emotional attention; emotional clarity; emotional repair; social anxiety; university.

Grants and funding

The author(s) declare financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. This article was carried out related to a research stay of Dr. Raúl Baños at the Autonomous University Baja California (from March 21, 2021, to April 24, 2021) with Prof. Juan José Calleja-Núñez. In addition, this research stay was financed through the Rectoral Resolution of February 23, 2021 of the Polytechnic University of Madrid, the award of aid from the Development Cooperation Travel Aid Program and for the Implementation of Official Teaching Programs with Latin America of short duration for professors, research and administrative staff of the UPM, during 2021.