| This study examined the correlation of emotional intelligence, as measured by the Adolescent Multifactor Emotional Intelligence Scale (AMEIS, Mayer, Salovey, & Caruso, unpublished), with number of behavioral symptoms of Conduct Disorder (CD) and Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD), as assessed by the DICA-R. Fifteen students (9 males, 6 females) aged 13 to 17 years participated in this study. The number of CD symptoms exhibited by the students ranged from 0 to 10, while the number of ODD symptoms exhibited ranged from 0 to 6. It was hypothesized that number of behavioral symptoms would be negatively correlated with the four Branch scores (e.g., Identifying Emotions, Using Emotions, Understanding Emotions, and Managing Emotions) and the Total score of the AMEIS. Statistical analyses indicated that all correlations ran in the predicted direction and, with the exception of Branches 2 (Using Emotions) and 3 (Understanding Emotions), the correlations represented medium to large effect sizes. Although support was not provided for the hypothesis regarding the Using Emotions Branch; the correlations of number of behavioral symptoms with Branch 3 represented small to moderate effect sizes. Further, the correlation of number of behavioral symptoms with Branch 1 (Identifying Emotions) was statistically significant at the p < .05 level. Additional analyses indicated that older adolescents tended to obtain higher scores on the AMEIS, with girls scoring higher than boys. Theoretical and treatment implications are discussed. |
