Adaptation, Adjustment, Emotional Intelligence, Mental Health
Conditions
Keywords
emotional intelligence, mental health, Higher Education, Undergraduate students
Brief summary
The IESA Program is an Emotional Intelligence (EI) intervention designed for first-year higher education students. The program is based on an ability-based EI framework and focuses on the development of four core emotional abilities: identifying, understanding, using, and managing emotions. The intervention aims to support students as they transition into higher education and face personal, social, and academic challenges. The IESA Program is delivered in a group format and consists of ten weekly sessions.
Detailed description
The IESA Program is a structured group intervention designed for first-year higher education students. The program operationalizes the ability-based model of emotional intelligence (Mayer & Salovey, 1997) and is delivered through ten weekly, two-hour sessions. Each session includes structured group activities and guided reflection to develop key emotional abilities. Primary Outcomes: The primary goal of the program is to foster students' emotional skills, specifically: Perception of emotions, comprehension of emotions, facilitation of emotions, and management of emotions. Secondary Outcomes: The program also targets additional outcomes, including: Adaptation to higher education, encompassing social, emotional, study, career, and institutional aspects; Mental health improvement, assessed by reductions in stress, depression, and anxiety; Academic performance, measured by Grade Point Average (GPA) The IESA Program is intended to support students in navigating the personal, social, and academic challenges associated with the transition to higher education.
Interventions
OTHERIESA Program
The IESA Program is a structured group intervention designed for first-year higher education students. It is based on the ability-based model of emotional intelligence (Mayer \& Salovey, 1997) and focuses on developing four core emotional abilities: identifying, understanding, using, and managing emotions. The program consists of ten weekly sessions, each lasting two hours. Sessions are delivered in a group format and include structured activities, interactive exercises, and guided reflection to engage students in applying emotional intelligence skills in personal, social, and academic contexts. This intervention is distinct from other programs as it specifically targets first-year higher education students during their transition to university, operationalizes the ability-based model of emotional intelligence, and combines skill development with reflective group activities over a fixed ten-week period.
Sponsors
Portucalense University
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 25 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* Enrolled in the first year of higher education for the first time * Aged between 18 and 25 years * Willing to participate in the study (intervention or control group)
Exclusion criteria
* Current psychopathological diagnosis * High frequency of ongoing psychology sessions * Significant negative life events within the past two weeks Additional Notes: Participants who meet
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Trait Meta-Mood Scale-24 (TMMS-24) Attention Subscale Score | Baseline (pre-intervention) and immediately post-intervention (after the 10-week program) | Emotional attention will be assessed using the Attention subscale of the Trait Meta-Mood Scale-24 (TMMS-24). The subscale consists of 8 items rated on a 5-point Likert scale from 1 ("Strongly disagree") to 5 ("Strongly agree"). Scores range from 8 to 40, with higher scores indicating greater attention to one's emotional states. Very high scores may reflect excessive focus on emotions. |
| Trait Meta-Mood Scale-24 (TMMS-24) Clarity Subscale Score | Baseline (pre-intervention) and immediately post-intervention (after the 10-week program). | Emotional clarity will be assessed using the Clarity subscale of the Trait Meta-Mood Scale-24 (TMMS-24). The subscale consists of 8 items rated on a 5-point Likert scale from 1 ("Strongly disagree") to 5 ("Strongly agree"). Scores range from 8 to 40, with higher scores indicating greater understanding of one's emotions. |
| Trait Meta-Mood Scale-24 (TMMS-24) Emotional Repair Subscale Score | Baseline (pre-intervention) and immediately post-intervention (after the 10-week program). | Emotional regulation will be assessed using the Emotional Repair subscale of the Trait Meta-Mood Scale-24 (TMMS-24). The subscale consists of 8 items rated on a 5-point Likert scale from 1 ("Strongly disagree") to 5 ("Strongly agree"). Scores range from 8 to 40, with higher scores indicating greater ability to regulate emotional states. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21) Depression Subscale Score | Baseline (pre-intervention) and immediately post-intervention (after the 10-week program). | Depressive symptoms will be assessed using the Depression subscale of the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21). The subscale contains 7 items rated on a 4-point Likert scale from 0 ("Did not apply to me at all") to 3 ("Applied to me very much or most of the time"). Scores range from 0 to 21, with higher scores indicating greater severity of depressive symptoms. |
| Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21) Anxiety Subscale Score | Baseline (pre-intervention) and immediately post-intervention (after the 10-week program). | Anxiety symptoms will be assessed using the Anxiety subscale of the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21). The subscale contains 7 items rated on a 4-point Likert scale from 0 ("Did not apply to me at all") to 3 ("Applied to me very much or most of the time"). Scores range from 0 to 21, with higher scores indicating greater severity of anxiety symptoms. |
| Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21) Stress Subscale Score | Baseline (pre-intervention) and immediately post-intervention (after the 10-week program). | Stress symptoms will be assessed using the Stress subscale of the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21). The subscale contains 7 items rated on a 4-point Likert scale from 0 ("Did not apply to me at all") to 3 ("Applied to me very much or most of the time"). Scores range from 0 to 21, with higher scores indicating greater severity of stress symptoms. |
| Semester Grade Point Average (GPA) | Baseline (pre-intervention) and at the end of the semester following the 10-week program. | Academic performance will be assessed using students' self-reported semester Grade Point Average (GPA). GPA will be reported according to the institutional grading system. Higher GPA values indicate better academic performance. |
| Higher Education Adaptation Questionnaire (QAES) Total Score | Baseline (pre-intervention) and at the end of the semester following the 10-week program. | Adaptation to higher education will be assessed using the Higher Education Adaptation Questionnaire (QAES), a 40-item self-report measure assessing academic adaptation, interpersonal adaptation, personal-emotional adaptation, institutional adaptation, career development, and course commitment. Responses are rated on a 5-point Likert scale from 1 ("Strongly disagree") to 5 ("Strongly agree"). Total scores range from 40 to 200, with higher scores indicating better adaptation to higher education. |
Countries
Portugal
Contacts
PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORAlexandra M. Araújo, PhD
Portucalense University
PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORRosario Cabello, PhD
University of Malaga
PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORFátima M. Teixeira, Master's (Doctoral Student)
Portucalense University
Outcome results
None listed