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The aim of this study is to explore a model examining how emotional intelligence (EI), sex, depressive symptoms and suicidal thoughts and behaviours (STB) may interact. The sample included 380 Spanish adolescent bully-victims (61.6% boys; mean age = 14.38 years). The results indicated that EI is a significant negative predictor of decreased STB and that this relation is fully mediated by depressive symptoms. This effect was moderated by sex, such that the mediation is stronger for girls compared to boys. The promotion of EI may be core in the development of prevention programmes for suicide, especially among female bully-victims.

This study contributes to current knowledge on the protective role of emotional intelligence and flourishing in cases of suicide risk (namely depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation) in a sample of adolescent victims of traditional bullying. The proposed model tested the mediator role of flourishing in the relationship between emotional intelligence (EI) and suicide risk together with the moderating effect of EI in the relationship between low flourishing and increased suicide risk. Considering an initial sample of 1847 adolescents (52.5% female), a subsample of 494 pure bullying victims (61.3% female) took part in this research. The main results showed EI to be linked to decreased suicide risk through levels of flourishing. Moreover, EI buffered the relationship between low flourishing and the associated suicide risk. Victimized adolescents with both low levels of EI and of flourishing reported higher levels of suicide risk than their counterparts with high EI levels. This suggests the protective role of EI of both predicting higher flourishing and reducing the likelihood of suicide risk among victimized adolescents with low levels of flourishing. Finally, the practical implications of these novel findings regarding the role of EI and flourishing in the prevention of suicide risk among victimized adolescents are discussed.

Background: Recent research has demonstrated that victims of bullying report serious problems, such as depression, which heighten the risk of suicide. Emotional intelligence (EI) has been increasingly recognized as a protective factor, but little is known about the mechanisms underlying the relation between EI and suicide risk in victims. This study aimed to test a theoretical model of how EI, depressive symptoms and gender interact to influence suicidal ideation and attempts in a sample of Spanish victims of bullying., Methods: The sample comprised 465 victims (273 girls) who completed self-report measures of perceived EI, depression and suicide risk., Results: Mediation and moderation analyses were performed using conditional process analysis. Findings showed that EI is a predictor of decreased suicide in victims. This relationship was partially mediated by depressive symptoms. Furthermore, this effect was moderated by gender, such that the mediation effect was stronger in girls compared to boys (moderated mediation)., Limitations: The cross-sectional design and the use of self-report instruments. Future research should address the longitudinal relations of these findings., Conclusions: The promotion of emotional skills could be core to the development of suicide prevention programs in those high-risk adolescents who have suffered from bullying. Furthermore, gender should be taken into consideration, especially with regard to females reporting depressive symptoms related to having been bullied., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)