Emotional Intelligence Program for Adolescents With Antisocial Behavior (DYNAMIS)

Study Overview
=================
Brief Summary
-----------------
This study assessed the effectiveness of an emotional intelligence program based on the Salovey and Mayer model among adolescents exhibiting antisocial behavior. A quasi-experimental design was employed, involving 231 Colombian adolescent offenders (122 in the experimental group). A 12-session psychological protocol was implemented. The primary question it aims to address is whether it is feasible for adolescents with antisocial behavior to reduce negative emotional symptoms related to mental health, such as anxiety, stress, and depression, while simultaneously improving their emotional skills. It was observed that those who completed the program showed significant improvements in emotional intelligence, emotional balance, and resilience while experiencing a decrease in emotional symptoms, particularly in stress.

Detailed Description
-----------------
Emotional intelligence programs have been shown to enhance mental health, social adjustment, and overall well-being in adolescents, primarily implemented in educational settings but adaptable to specific clinical populations. The goal of this study was to assess the effectiveness of an emotional intelligence program tailored for adolescents with antisocial behavior based on the Salovey and Mayer ability model. Given previous findings suggesting that emotional intelligence programs can aid in improving mental health and social adjustment in adolescents, there arises a need to evaluate the efficacy of such programs in correctional settings. This study aimed to ascertain the effectiveness of an emotional intelligence program designed for adolescents with antisocial behavior. It also supported the notion that implementing emotional intelligence programs in socio-educational centers working with such adolescents could be an effective strategy to enhance their psychological and social well-being. Additionally, it highlights the necessity of incorporating emotional intelligence training in intervention processes within correctional contexts. The study employed a quasi-experimental design with both intervention and control groups, conducting pre-post intervention measures. The study involved 231 Colombian adolescent participants aged between 14 and 18 (Mean = 15.55, SD = 1.30), with 122 in the intervention group (Mean = 15.64, SD = 1.29, 19.7% female) and 109 in the control group (Mean = 15.44, SD = 1.30, 27.5% female). Questionnaires were utilized to evaluate emotional intelligence, emotional experiences, resilience, emotional symptoms (depression, anxiety, and stress), and life satisfaction. The comparative analyses revealed significant differences between the intervention and control groups. Adolescents who completed the program demonstrated improvements in emotional intelligence, emotional balance, and resilience while experiencing a notable reduction in emotional symptoms, particularly stress.

Official Title
-----------------
Results of an Emotional Intelligence Program for Adolescent Offenders Based on Salovey and Mayer's Ability Model.

Conditions
-----------------
Mental Health Wellness 1

Intervention / Treatment
-----------------
* Behavioral: The program comprises 12 sessions and additional activities to be carried out after each session, alongside counseling from the program's leading professionals


Participation Criteria
=================
Eligibility Criteria
-----------------
Inclusion Criteria: The inclusion criteria were being enrolled in the first year or higher grades of secondary education, having parental and authority permission, and being between 14 and 18 years old Exclusion Criteria: The exclusion criteria were being younger than 14 or older than 18, openly refusing to participate, lacking authorization, and having the scheduled completion of the judicial measure during the program execution period.

Ages Eligible for Study
-----------------
Minimum Age: 14 Years
Maximum Age: 18 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
-----------------
All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
-----------------
Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Study Plan
=================
How is the study designed?
-----------------

Design Details

Primary Purpose: Prevention
Allocation: Non-Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Interventional Model Description: The design was a quasi-experimental study with intervention and control groups and pre-post-intervention measures.
Masking: None (Open Label)


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: Experimental<br>A 12-session psychological program The intervention program consisted of 12 sessions of 80 minutes with a weekly frequency. The first session was diagnostic, and the following nine correspond to the following topics: perception (2), facilitation (2), labeling and understanding (2), emotional regulation, and management (3). The last session was evaluative. The intervention included practical tasks in context and supervision by clinical psychologist. | Behavioral: The program comprises 12 sessions and additional activities to be carried out after each session, alongside counseling from the program's leading professionals<br>* The program is based on the emotional intelligence skills model (Mayer & Salovey, 1997; Salovey & Mayer, 1990), which suggests that emotional intelligence consists of four hierarchical branches or components: (a) perception of emotions, (b) facilitating thinking using emotions, (c) understanding emotions, and (d) managing and handling emotions. The program comprises 12 sessions and additional activities to be carried out after each session, alongside counseling from the program's leading professionals. The sessions follow a similar structure, involving session framing, motivation on the central theme, group activity for sharing ideas and experiences, individual activities, review, and task assignment. The first and second sections focus on analyzing the personal reality and current emotional conditions of the participants, while the final session is designed for both celebration and program evaluation. The remaining nine sessions address the four branches of the skill model.<br>|
| Placebo Comparator: Control Group<br>Does not receive intervention | Behavioral: The program comprises 12 sessions and additional activities to be carried out after each session, alongside counseling from the program's leading professionals<br>* The program is based on the emotional intelligence skills model (Mayer & Salovey, 1997; Salovey & Mayer, 1990), which suggests that emotional intelligence consists of four hierarchical branches or components: (a) perception of emotions, (b) facilitating thinking using emotions, (c) understanding emotions, and (d) managing and handling emotions. The program comprises 12 sessions and additional activities to be carried out after each session, alongside counseling from the program's leading professionals. The sessions follow a similar structure, involving session framing, motivation on the central theme, group activity for sharing ideas and experiences, individual activities, review, and task assignment. The first and second sections focus on analyzing the personal reality and current emotional conditions of the participants, while the final session is designed for both celebration and program evaluation. The remaining nine sessions address the four branches of the skill model.<br>|

What is the study measuring?
-----------------
Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Emotional Intelligence | Attention, Clarity and Emotional Repair. Trait Meta Mood Scale (TMMS-24) | 4 months | 
| Emotional Intelligence | Attention, Clarity and Emotional Repair. Trait Meta Mood Scale (TMMS-24) | 4 months. It offers five alternative answers (1 = strongly disagree; 5 = strongly agree) (Range 8-40). High scores on the factors indicate a higher degree of emotional intelligence. | 
| Emotional symptoms of mental health | Depression, anxiety and stress scale (DASS-21) | 4 months. The scale rates emotional symptoms from normal to extremely severe. Depression (0-9, normal- 28+ extremely severe). Anxiety (0-7, normal- 20+ extremely severe). Stress (0-4, normal- 34+ extremely severe. | 
| Positive and negative emotional experiences | Positive and negative emotional experiences (SPANE) | 4 months. The items are presented on a Likert scale ranging from Very rarely or never to Very often or always (5).(Range 5-30) | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Affective balance | Positive and negative emotional experiences scale (SPANE) | 4 months. The affective balance scale is derived from the difference between the two SPANE sub-scales (SPANE-P and SPANE-N). | 
| Satisfaction with life | Satisfaction with life Scale (SWLS) | 4 months. Scores between 31-35 indicate the individual is very satisfied; 26-30, satisfied; 21-25, somewhat satisfied; 20, neutral; 15-19, somewhat dissatisfied; 10-14, dissatisfied; and 5-9, very dissatisfied. | 
| Resilience | Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC-10) | 4 months. It consists of 10 items designed as a Likert-type scale with five response options (0 = never; 4 = almost always). The final score for the questionnaire is obtained by summing the responses (range 0-40). | 

 Terms related to the study
=================
Keywords Provided by Centre Hospitalier Valida
-----------------
Depression, Anxiety, Stress, Emotions, Subjective well-being