Abstract
The study examined trait emotional intelligence as a predictor for emotional reactions experienced during the first full week of the lockdown in Poland (from 16th to 22nd March). One hundred and thirty persons (101 women and 25 men; 4 did not report their gender)participated in the baseline measurement of trait emotional intelligence, positive and negative affect, and affect intensity and in a one-week daily diary. Trait emotional intelligence correlated positively with baseline positive affect and positive intensity, while negatively with baseline negative affect and negative intensity. Trait emotional intelligence marginally significantly predicted a lower frequency of anger, disgust, and sadness during the first week of the pandemic. Trait emotional intelligence predicted a lower intensity of fear, anxiety and sadness. The study showed a complex dynamics of emotional experiences during the first week of the COVID-19 pandemic. Positive states of relaxation and happiness were experienced more frequently and more intensely compared to the negatively-valenced emotions. The protective role of trait emotional intelligence during the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak was mainly associated with experiencing negative emotions (fear, anxiety, and sadness) less intensely, but not less frequently.
1. Introduction
According to the data of the World Health Organization (WHO), since December 2019, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has spread to 216 countries, areas or territories. On July 20th the number of confirmed cases reached 14,348,858 and the number of deaths amounted to 603,691 (WHO, 2020). The COVID-19 pandemic, declared by the WHO on March 11th, has deeply affected large populations in terms of serious social, political, economic, and psychological aspects (Holmes et al., 2020; Hui et al., 2020). Experts drew attention to patient populations that may particularly need tailored interventions, i.e. older adults and international migrant workers (Liem, Wang, Wariyanti, Latkin, & Hall, 2020; Yang et al., 2020). However, infectious disease outbreaks such as COVID-19 can cause severe emotional distress, fear of the disease, anxiety, depression, and anger even in people who are not at high risk of the disease (Dai, Hu, Xiong, Qiu, & Yuan, 2020; Duan & Zhu, 2020; Huang & Zhao, 2020; Montemurro, 2020). Recommended psychological crisis intervention response to COVID-19 was focused on maintaining emotional stability, confronting the fear, monitoring distress and improving coping (Zhang, Wu, Zhao, & Zhang, 2020). Emotional understanding and emotion regulation were the prerequisites of many of the above interventions. Therefore, trait emotional intelligence, as a construct that encompasses efficient processing and managing emotional cues (Mayer & Salovey, 1997), may be regarded as a significant protective factor in the face of the pandemic.
