Examining the role of trait emotional intelligence on psychiatric symptom clusters in the context of lifetime trauma

This article examines the role of socio-demographic variables, lifetime trauma and trait emotional intelligence (EI) as predictors of trauma-related symptom clusters (depression, anxiety, and somatization). 202 adults receiving seeking psychological services at a community-based mental health clinic completed self-report questionnaires. Socio-demographic variables, lifetime trauma and trait EI significantly related to all outcomes, but trait EI had the largest impact. Trait EI was negatively related to the measures of psychological distress, with standardized coefficients ranging between −0.39 to −0.67. Combined, the three groups of variables explained between 28 and up to 50% of the variance in the outcomes. These results suggest that trait EI is valuable in the prevention and treatment of depression, anxiety, and somatization symptom clusters among individuals exposed to trauma, in particular among individuals with low income and education. •Examines correlates of depression, anxiety, and somatization in a clinical sample•Socio-demographic indicators captured between 11 and 12% of the variance•Trauma risk factors increased the explained variation for anxiety and somatization.•Trait emotional intelligence (EI) was a strong negative correlate of all outcomes.•The additional variance captured by trait EI exceeded that of prior variables.