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To investigate whether emotional intelligence skills measured via the Perceiving, Understanding and Managing Emotions branches of the Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT) V2.0 are associated with community integration and return-to-work (RTW) following moderate-to-severe acquired brain injury (ABI), after accounting for other established predictors. Retrospective cohort study. Outpatient follow-up services within two specialist ABI rehabilitation centers in [location removed]. Eighty-two individuals with moderate-to-severe ABI discharged from inpatient rehabilitation and living in the community (2 months to 7 years post-injury). Not applicable. Community Integration Questionnaire scores for the total sample (N = 82; age range 18-80) and RTW status (employed vs not employed) for the subset of participants employed prior to ABI (n = 71; age range 19-66). Hierarchical logistic and multiple regression analyses were used to examine the unique contribution of Perceiving, Understanding and Managing Emotions scores to RTW and community integration, after controlling for demographic, injury-related, psychological and cognitive predictors. As a set, the three EI variables did not explain incremental variance in outcomes. However, individually, Understanding Emotions predicted RTW (adjusted odds ratio = 3.10, p = .03), χ2(12) = 35.52, p < .001, and Managing Emotions predicted community integration (ß = 0.23, p = .036), F(12,69) = 5.14, p < .001. Although the EI constructs in combination did not improve prediction beyond the effects of established variables, individual components of strategic EI may be important for specific participation outcomes after ABI. |
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