An Italian contribution to the study of the validity and reliability of the trait meta-mood scale.

BACKGROUND: Emotional intelligence (EI) is a field of study that is receiving increasingly attention in the literature, due to its relevance to a series of aspects of human psychological and social functioning.

AIMS: This study used archival data from an Italian sample encompassing 885 nonclinical adults, to contribute to the study of the validity and reliability of the Trait Meta Mood-Scale (TMMS), a widely used measure of self-perceived EI.

METHOD: Statistical analyses focused on internal consistency, factor structure and concurrent validity of an Italian TMMS version.

RESULTS: Results confirmed previous international studies supporting the cross-cultural adaptability of the TMMS, showing adequate reliability and validity indexes for all TMMS scores.

CONCLUSIONS: EI may be measured via self-report. Its relationship to psychopathology, however, deserves more research, as certain components of EI correlate positively with psychological suffering.