The Impact of Emotional Intelligence and Coping Strategies on Suicide Risk in Adolescents

An increased risk of suicide in adolescents has been consistently associated with the limited effectiveness of coping strategies for managing everyday stressors, as well as with lower levels of emotional intelligence, which are critical for adaptive decision-making and problem-solving. Therefore, examining the relationship between these variables is essential to understanding the underlying psychological mechanisms that should guide future prevention efforts. The objective of this study was to analyze the predictive effects of emotional intelligence and coping strategies on the risk of suicidal ideation in Colombian adolescents. A total of 598 adolescents (M = 14.17, SD = 2.01) participated in the study and completed the Suicide Orientation Inventory (ISO-30), the Trait Meta-Mood Scale-24 (TMMS-24), and the Coping Strategies Inventory (CSI). Findings revealed that 16.9% of participants exhibited a high risk of suicide, while 4.7% reported a history of suicide attempts. Comparative analyses showed that adolescents in the high-risk group scored significantly lower on emotional intelligence, problem solving, cognitive restructuring, social support, avoidance, and emotional expression compared to those in the low and moderate-risk groups. In contrast, they scored higher on desiderative thinking, social withdrawal, and self-criticism. Multinomial logistic regression analysis indicated that the dimensions of emotional intelligence (attention, clarity, and repair) accounted for 46% of the variance in moderate and high suicide risk, using the low-risk group as reference. Additionally, coping strategies contributed to explaining 53% of the variance in suicidal risk among adolescents. This study highlights the predictive role of emotional intelligence and coping strategies in adolescent suicidal ideation. Lower emotional clarity and the use of maladaptive strategies such as self-criticism and social withdrawal were associated with higher risk, whereas adaptive strategies like problem solving and cognitive restructuring demonstrated a protective effect. These results emphasize the crucial role of emotional regulation and adaptive coping as protective factors against suicidal behavior. The findings provide valuable insights for the development of preventive strategies and psychosocial interventions aimed at reducing suicide risk in adolescents, underscoring the importance of strengthening emotional and coping competencies from an early age.