The role of emotional intelligence in the relationship between psychosocial factors and suicide behaviour in South African adolescents

English: Globally and especially in South Africa there is a growing concern about the presence of emotional disturbances among adolescents manifesting itself as suicide behaviour. Suicide behaviour among the adolescents is ranked as one of the top two causes of death in South Africa. Hence, it is necessary to explore the various factors contributing to this alarming situation. Therefore, the overall aim of this study was to investigate the role of emotional intelligence (EI) in the relationship between psychosocial factors and adolescent suicide behaviour, along with gender and racial differences. The study utilized quantitative methods with a non-experimental correlational design. The stratified sample participants included a total of 662 learners between grade 10-12 from the Eden district, Western Cape Province. The total sample consisted of male (N=275), female (N=387), Black (N=342), Coloured (N=253), and White adolescents (N=65). The quantitative measures used to obtain information was The Suicidal Ideation Questionnaire, Adolescent Version (SIQ), The Life Stressors and Social Resources Inventory, Youth Form (LISRES), the Bar-On Emotional Quotient Inventory, Youth Version (Bar-On EQI), and a biographical questionnaire. Through moderated hierarchical regression analyses, gender and racial differences were determined in regards to significant differences in suicidal ideation, interpersonal stressors-and resources, and emotional intelligence. As suicidal ideation has been proved to be a good predictor of suicide risk behaviour among adolescents, findings in the current study indicated a high suicide risk (N = 229) among the total sample, bringing the incidence of suicide behaviour to 34.6%. Genderand racial differences were found in relation to interpersonal stressors-and resources and risk of suicide behaviour, with female adolescents reporting a stronger correlation between experienced interpersonal stressors (parents, family and school) and higher levels of suicide behaviour. The Coloured adolescents, in comparison with the White adolescents, reported friends as the main stressor that correlated with increased levels of suicide behaviour. Friends as a resource were reported to be strongly correlated with lower levels of suicide behaviour amongst the Black and White adolescent sample, but specifically among the White adolescents. The parent resource showed a significant negative correlation with suicide behaviour amongst the total group of adolescents. For the White adolescents, experiencing school as a resource decreased suicide behavior significantly. With regards to Emotional Intelligence (EI), Stress management had the most significant negative correlation with suicide behaviour among the total group of adolescents. Results suggested no gender differences between EI and suicide behaviour. Racial differences were found among the Black and White adolescents on the total EI score. A higher total EI score was more significant for the White group in relation to decreased levels of suicide behaviour, than the Black group. The group of White adolescents also reported a strong negative correlation with general mood EI (feeling optimistic and happy) and suicide behaviour. In determining the moderating role of EI in the relationship between interpersonal stressors and resources and risk towards suicide behaviour, gender-and racial differences were also reported. Among the male adolescents, poor adaptability and stress management EI led to an increase of suicide behaviour when parents and school, as stressors, were high. The findings also showed that the White adolescent group with low and high adaptability EI led to a rise in suicide behaviour when increased levels of friends as stressor were reported, while the presence of poor adaptability EI was more strongly associated with higher suicide levels among this group. Among the Coloured adolescent sample, the adolescents with higher levels of interpersonal EI displayed a greater increase in suicide behaviour with an increase in friends as stressor. This was found to be more pronounced when compared with the Coloured adolescents who reported low levels of interpersonal EI. Pertaining to resources, the total group of adolescents reported a strong negative correlation between high levels of interpersonal EI and suicide behaviour when there was an increase of parents as resource. Findings further indicated that for the total group of adolescents with higher adaptability EI, there was a decrease in suicide behaviour when there was an increase of boy-/girlfriend as resource. Among the adolescents with low levels of adaptability EI, there was a risk of displaying higher levels of suicide behaviour, regardless if support was received from a boy-/girlfriend. Lastly, high levels of interpersonal EI showed a strong negative correlation with suicide behaviour among all the adolescents who experienced increases of boy-/girlfriend as a resource. Interestingly, although a strong positive correlation between low levels of interpersonal EI and suicide behaviour was expected, it was present irrespective of whether boy-/girlfriend as a resource increased or not. The findings of this study recommend EI skills training in mental health settings and educational curricula in the prevention and intervention of suicide behaviour among adolescents. The implementation of programmes aimed at enhancing social support and skills for parents, families, the school, and adolescents, are also recommended. Additional research is recommended to explore the dynamics of other personal variables and nature of interpersonal relationships among the different gender and racial groups within the South African context. These interventions could expand on the knowledge of the risk and protective factors involved in adolescent suicide behaviour.