Evaluation of Anxiety, Suicidal Risk, Daily Stress, Empathy, Perceived Emotional Intelligence, and Coping Strategies in a Sample of Spanish Undergraduates

Abstract

Anxiety disorders and suicide are commonly under-recognized issues that can be a public health problem. Adolescents are among the most affected population groups and studying them can prevent serious health problems. These two elements are related, but at the same time, they can only be understood from a multifactorial point of view, so other related variables such as emotional intelligence, empathy, or coping strategies are key to understand their effect on the population. In this study, a series of methods to measure the variables of interest were applied to a specific group of adolescents to determine their mental health levels, focusing on suicide and anxiety episodes. The results reflected average levels with a tendency to be high in the case of anxiety and nonalarming levels in terms of suicide risk, both parameters presenting more worrying values in women. In turn, the correlation between suicide and anxiety was demonstrated considering the other variables (coping strategies, empathy, emotional intelligence, and prosociality). This research has relevant implications for the diagnosis, orientation, and design of psychoeducational and clinical interventions that contribute to the improvement of their well-being and quality of life.