Emotional Intelligence and Marital Quality: Dyadic Data on Croatian Sample

The aim of this study was to examine if emotional intelligence (EI) measured by tests and self-reports contributes to the explanation of self and partner's assessments of marital quality. Ninety eight married heterosexual couples participated. Each partner completed for itself measures of EI, quality of marriage, personality inventory and some socio-demographics. Models showed that socio-demographics, personality traits, and EI measure explained between 21% and 27% of own and partner's quality of marriage, with 5%-7% of specific contribution of EI measures to quality of marriage. Among EI measures, ability to regulate one's own and others' emotions was significant predictor of own and partner's quality of marriage, while self-reported measure of regulation and managing of emotions significantly predicted own quality of marriage. Other significant predictors were extraversion for both own and partner's quality of marriage, and agreeableness, length of acquaintance before marriage and cohabitation for partner's quality of marriage only.