Emotional Intelligence in Patients With Addictive Disorder

The study aims to evaluate the level of emotional intelligence in patients diagnosed with substance use disorder and to evaluate the benefits in emotional skills after a brief intervention based on emotional intelligence.

Patients will be recruited by consecutive non-probabilistic sampling in the Addictions Day Hospital of the Addictions Unit of the Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau in Barcelona. The level of emotional intelligence will be assessed through the following measurement instruments: MSCEIT for the objective emotional intelligence coefficient and the TMMS-24 for the perceived emotional intelligence. Patients will attend 9 sessions of brief group intervention based on emotional intelligence and pre-post intervention differences in participants' TMMS-24 scores will be analyzed

Patient's emotional abilities will be stimulated by means of a brief intervention in a group format (nine sessions). In these sessions we will use both projective and guided-fantasy techniques for the emotional diagnosis, as well as psychoeducational workshops of both emotional education and emotional intelligence development.

Change in perceived emotional intelligence, measured with the Spanish version of the Trait Meta-Mood Scale (Fernandez-Berrocal, Extremera & Ramos, 2004).

The Trait Meta-Mood Scale (TMMS-24) is a 24-item self-report instrument with three subscales measuring three key aspects of perceived emotional intelligence: Attention, Clarity and Repair. Each of these three subscales consists of eight items with a 5-point Likert response format (ranging from 1 to 5). Subscale total scores are obtained by summing responses to all items and thus range from 8 to 40, with higher scores indicating greater level of the characteristic assessed.

Score on an ability measure of emotional intelligence, the Spanish version of the Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (Extremera & Fernández-Berrocal, 2016).

The Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT) consists of 141 items that yield an overall emotional intelligence (EI) score and two EI area scores: the Experiential EI and Strategic EI scores. The aforementioned scores have a mean of 100 and a standard deviation of 15, with higher scores indicating greater emotional intelligence.

Change in self-esteem, measured with the Spanish version of the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (Martin-Albo, Núñez, Navarro & Grijalvo, 2007).

The Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES) is a self-report measure of global self-esteem. It consists of ten items with a 4-point Likert response format (ranging from 1 to 4). The RSES total score is obtained by summing responses to all items and thus ranges from 10 to 40, with higher scores indicating greater self-esteem.

Change in subjective happiness, measured with the Spanish version of the Subjective Happiness Scale (Extremera & Fernández-Berrocal, 2013).

The Subjective Happiness Scale (SHS) is a self-report measure of global subjective happiness. It consists of four items with a 7-point Likert response format (ranging from 1 to 7). The SHS total score is obtained by averaging responses to all items and thus ranges from 1 to 7, with higher scores indicating greater happiness.

Change in life satisfaction, measured with the Spanish version of the Satisfaction with Life Scale (Vásquez, Duque & Hervás, 2013).

The Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) is a self-report measure of life satisfaction. It consists of five items with a 7-point Likert response format (ranging from 1 to 7). The SWLS total score is obtained by summing responses to all items and thus ranges from 5 to 35, with higher scores indicating greater life satisfaction.

Change in anxiety levels, measured with the Spanish version of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory - State subscale (Spielberger, Gorsuch & Lushene, 2011).

The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory - State subscale (STAI-S) is a self-report measure of state anxiety. It consists of 20 items with a 4-point Likert response format (ranging from 0 to 3). The STAI-S total direct score is obtained by summing responses to all items and thus ranges from 0 to 60, with higher scores indicating greater levels of state anxiety.

Inclusion Criteria: Substance Use Disorder (DSM-5) 18 to 80 years old Exclusion Criteria: Presence of severe psychopathological alteration (including severe intoxication) Inability to understand the Spanish language or difficulties writing or reading