Exploring the connection between parental trait anxiety and adolescent emotional intelligence.

Parental anxiety and emotional intelligence (EI), while peripherally linked in the research literature, have rarely (if ever) been tested for a direct relationship. This thesis involved research that established a link between those two constructs. To make that connection, quantitative data was collected using the Emotional Quotient Inventory: Youth Version (EQ-i:YV) and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) to link parental self-reports of trait anxiety with their Grade 10 children's self-reports of EI. Additionally, a demographic survey was utilized to compare differences in STAI and EQ-i:YV score across a variety of groups. The findings indicated the possibility of a relationship between parental trait anxiety and adolescent EI as confirmed by the finding of a correlation between increased levels of parental trait anxiety and diminished stress management abilities. Additional findings included strong suggestions that less-anxious parents spend more time with their children and also have children with higher scores on many (most) of the EQ-i:YV scales, indicating that those children that share more than three meals a week and generally spend more time with their caregivers have stronger EI abilities. --P. ii.