ORIGINAL PAPER
Effect of emotional intelligence and resilience on trauma coping among university students
 
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1
Department of Educational and Rehabilitative Psychology, Institute of Psychology, University of Leipzig, Germany
 
2
Department of Clinical Psychology, Institute of Psychology, University of Leipzig, Germany
 
 
Submission date: 2016-02-26
 
 
Final revision date: 2016-06-10
 
 
Acceptance date: 2016-07-12
 
 
Online publication date: 2016-09-08
 
 
Publication date: 2016-09-06
 
 
Health Psychology Report 2017;5(1):12-19
 
KEYWORDS
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ABSTRACT
Background
Exposure to natural or manmade disasters is associated with long-term health consequences, including those for mental health. Trauma can be considered as the severe mental health outcome of such kinds of disasters. University students as an academic population can also be exposed to different types of disasters in their life. However, most students tend to remain within the academic society due to their coping capacities. It is possible that some students who are suffering from a trauma may not have been identified and that some may even have healed due to individual resilience.

Participants and procedure
This study investigated samples of German and Sri Lankan university students (N = 356), attempting to identify relationships between emotional intelligence and its impact on trauma compared with resilience capacities. A purposeful sampling method was used for data collection.

Results and conclusions
Independent sample t-test and hierarchical multiple regression analysis demonstrated that German students and Sri Lankan students used different levels of resilience capacity and emotional intelligence in their trauma coping.
 
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