Individual difference correlates of health-related behaviours: Preliminary evidence for links between emotional intelligence and coping

Associations amongst personality, coping, health locus of control, emotional intelligence (EI) and health behaviours were examined in a group of 364 Canadian students. Consistent associations with health behaviours were found for Conscientiousness, with the correlation pattern for other measures being more variable. EI, coping and health locus of control scales were intercorrelated, and a scale-level factor analysis suggested the extraction of a superordinate Coping/EI factor. This was found to mediate the relationship between personality and both taking regular exercise and healthy diet strategy. These findings suggest that associations between coping and EI, and the ways in which EI can act as a coping resource, should be investigated further.