Bullying plays a moderated mediation role in the association between emotional intelligence and school engagement through self-esteem

This study aims to examine the moderated mediation role of bullying in the relationship between emotional intelligence and school engagement, with self-esteem as a mediating variable. The existing literature reports a positive association between emotional intelligence and school engagement. It is also suggested that students with higher emotional intelligence may develop higher self-esteem, which, in turn, may be associated with higher levels of school engagement. However, the extent to which this process is conditioned by students' experiences of bullying remains unclear. In other words, exposure to bullying may strengthen, weaken, or entirely alter the indirect association of emotional intelligence on school engagement through self-esteem. To address this gap, the study employed a cross-sectional correlational design with students enrolled in public lower secondary schools. A total of 657 students participated in the research. The study further examined the associations among emotional intelligence, self-esteem, school engagement, and bullying, thereby elucidating the role of bullying in relation to these constructs. The findings indicated that emotional intelligence is positively associated with both self-esteem and school engagement, and negatively associated with bullying. A strong positive association was also observed between self-esteem and school engagement. Moreover, the results revealed that the indirect association of emotional intelligence on school engagement through self-esteem varies as a function of bullying. As bullying increases, the strength of the associations between emotional intelligence, self-esteem, and school engagement decreases. These findings underscore bullying as a critical factor associated with students' psychological and academic adjustment processes.