School Burnout and Well-Being in Adolescence: Trait Emotional Intelligence as a Protective Factor

Adolescents who experience school burnout feel overwhelmed and disengaged from school. Among the protective factors, Trait Emotional Intelligence (TEI) can play an important role in preventing school burnout and promoting well-being during adolescence. In the present study, we aimed at testing, within a single conceptual comprehensive model, how students’ TEI affects their level of well-being, both directly and indirectly via school burnout. A total of 229 Italian high school students (110 females; M = 16.64 years, SD = 1.46) were asked to complete three self-report quantitative measures evaluating their TEI, school burnout, and well-being, respectively. The structural equation model revealed that participants’ TEI had a significant association with both their levels of school burnout and well-being. TEI was found to have both a direct and an indirect significant effect—by reducing the impact of school burnout—on participants’ well-being. Significant effects of age and gender emerged. We discuss the practical and educational implications of the findings.