Abstract

The aim of the study was to validate a self-report questionnaire, the Schutte's Scale of Emotional Intelligence (EIS), with a sample of Italian adolescents. Participants were 646, respectively 280 males and 366 females (mean age: 16 years and 9 months; DS: 1.4). Explorative factor analyses showed, consistently with the original one, a three factor structure. The factors are: Appraisal of others' emotions; appraisal of self emotions; regulation and use of emotion. Confirmatory analysis showed a good fit of the model (CFI = .90, RMSEA = .04 and SRMR = .05). Structural generalizability was assessed by performing simultaneous confirmatory factor analyses on the two sub-samples of male and females. Factor loadings were found to be invariant across groups. In sum, results are overall coherent with previously published data on the EIS scale, and support the idea that the instrument might be further used for research purposes.