Emotional Intelligence and Personality in Anxiety Disorders

Abstract

Anxiety disorders(AD) are by far the most frequent psychiatric disorders, and according to epidemiologic data their chronicity, comorbidities, and negative prognostic constitute a public health problem. This is why it is necessary to continue exploring the factors which contribute to the incidence, appearance, and maintenance of this set of disorders.The goal of this study has been to analyze the possible relationship between Emotional Intelligence (EI) and personality disorders (PersD) in outpatients suffering fromAD.The sample was made up of 146 patients with AD from the Mental Health Center at the Health Consortium of Maresme, who were evaluated with the STAI, MSCEIT,and MCMI-II questionnaires.The main finding sindicate that 89,4% of the patients in the sample met the criteria for the diagnosis of some Pers D.The findings also confirm that patients with AD present a low EI, especially because of difficulties in the skills of emotional comprehension and regulation, and the lack of these skills is related to a higher level of anxiety and thepresence of Pers D. These findings suggest the need to consider emotional skills of EI and personality as central elements for the diagnosis and treatment of AD.